'Secret Society' FBI Text Actually Began With A 'Beefcake' Putin Calendar

[DonViejo]

Source: HuffPost

01/25/2018 04:06 pm ET Updated 17 minutes ago

The backstory to the message that’s been blowing up conservative media is pretty funny.

By Ryan J. Reilly


An FBI official bought calendars featuring “beefcake” photos of Vladimir Putin for the early Russia probe team.

WASHINGTON ― It was hours after Donald Trump became the president-elect, and two FBI officials, like many of their fellow citizens, were flabbergasted. Peter Strzok and Lisa Page ― both of whom had worked on the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, which the former secretary of state would blame for her loss ― were worried about the future of their country and their agency.

One text that Page sent Strzok early on the morning of Nov. 9, 2016, has dominated the conservative media world this week, serving as a springboard for a Republican conspiracy theory suggesting that the nation’s premier law enforcement organization was plotting a coup against Trump within hours of his stunning victory.

“Are you even going to give out your calendars? Seems kind of depressing,” Page, a FBI lawyer, wrote in the text to Strzok from her FBI-issued phone. “Maybe it should just be the first meeting of the secret society.” Republican lawmakers seized upon the “secret society” reference this week, claiming to see sinister motives, and it started popping up all over cable news chyrons. But, in fact, it was almost certainly a joke, a bit of gallows humor after an election that featured Russian interference.

So what was that “calendars” reference all about? Out of context, it’s a bit confusing. But the backstory is actually kind of funny. The New York Times first reported that the “calendars,” which the Times said had a “Russia theme,” were a gag gift for those working on the early Russia probe.





Read more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fbi-text-secret-society-putin-beefcake-calendar_us_5a6940d1e4b0e56300762ffe

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[pangaia]

1. Where is Inspector Clouseau when we need him.

This is So freakin' beyond the pale.

Nothing else has really surprised me..

THIS one got me, I will admit.

These stupid, fucking idiotic morons....

[tanyev]

2. LOLOLOLOL.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Can't wait until we get to crawl through 100,000s of GOP texts and find

a reference to sheets and Tiki torches.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. Someone should mail copies of those calendars to EVERY ONE of the GOP in Congress!

So they can be proudly displayed in their offices since they love the man so.

[RandomAccess]

5. I got a huge laugh out of Stephanie Miller this morning

I was watching a clip of her show with Malcolm Nance and she stumbled over the name Strzok several times, then muttered under her breath, "I'd like to buy a vowel."

Cracked me up.

[Demtexan]

6. Not my beef cake.

His beef cake days were over 10 ten years ago.

[YOHABLO]

7. At what point did saggy man boobs become "beefcake''? Sick