Victor Davis Hanson on the FBI
Here’s another recommended article by VDH. There’s so much in it that it’s hard to select just a few quotes, but here are some of special interest to me:
The FBI is now, tragically, in freefall. The public is at the point, first, of asking what improper or illegal behavior will the bureau not pursue, and what, if anything, must be done to reform or save a once great but now discredited agency.
Consider the last four directors, the public faces of the FBI for the last 22 years. Ex-director Robert Mueller testified before Congress that he simply would not or could not talk about the fraudulent Steele dossier. He claimed that it was not the catalyst for his special counsel investigation of Donald Trump’s alleged ties with the Russians when, of course, it was.
Mueller also testified that he was “not familiar” with Fusion GPS, although Glenn Simpson’s opposition research firm subsidized the dossier through various cutouts that led back to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. And the skullduggery in the FBI-subsidized dossier helped force the appointment of Mueller himself.
While under congressional oath, Mueller’s successor James Comey on some 245 occasions claimed that he “could not remember,” “could not recall,” or “did not know” when asked simple questions fundamental to his own involvement with the Russian collusion hoax.
Comey, remember, memorialized a confidential conversation with President Trump on an FBI device and then used a third party to leak it to the New York Times. In his own words, the purpose was to force a special counsel appointment. The gambit worked, and his friend and predecessor Robert Mueller got the job. Twenty months and $40 million later, Mueller’s investigation tore the country apart but could find no evidence that Trump, as Steele alleged, colluded with the Russians to throw the 2016 election.
Comey also seems to have reassured the president that he was not the target of an ongoing FBI investigation, when in fact, Trump was.
Comey was never indicted for either misleading or lying to a congressional committee or leaking a document variously considered either confidential or classified.
While under oath, his interim successor, Andrew McCabe, on a number of occasions flat-out lied to federal investigators…
The FBI arguably interfered in two presidential elections, and a presidential transition, and possibly determinatively so…
To this day, the public has no idea what the FBI was doing on January 6, how many FBI informants and agents were among the rioters, and to what degree they knew in advance of the protests. The New York Times reporter most acquainted with the January 6 riot, Matthew Rosenberg, dismissed the buffoonish violence as “no big deal” and scoffed, “They were making this an organized thing that it wasn’t.”
“There were a ton of FBI informants among the people who attacked the Capitol,” Rosenberg noted. We have never been told anything about that “ton”—a topic of zero interest to the January 6 select committee.
Much much more at the link.
Read the article. Came away thinking the Eff Bee Eye would need to be dissolved before one could investigate it. Cutting off the body before the head was chopped off is a disaster before it began.
The recently-passed monstrosity of an “omnibus” included more funding for our very own Stasi (as well as for its new headquarters), not to mention more money for the Department of (In)Justice in order to pursue the chimera of right-wing “domestic extremism”. Unfortunately, the FBI/DOJ is hardly the only part of the federal government which is irreparable and irredeemable and which ought to be treated as, long ago, the Romans did their Carthaginian enemies.
“once great now discredited agency.”
Sorry. Hard to believe another word after that howler.
Fire them all.
Prosecute/jail the miscreants.
Tear down the building and start over.
I think VDH put his finger on the right point. I’ve been thinking about the FBI corruption recently, my distrust because of it, yet stumbling on the history of the FBI that I know has been corrupt since J. Edgar Hoover. J. Edgar would jail dissidents. “Deep Throat” was the number 2 FBI disgruntled at being passed over for the top job. Ruby Ridge was but a milestone. So why a greater distrust now? Well, because I can no longer in vision a floor to how low the FBI will go. No inhibits seem to be in place. What I can in vision is a “hold my beer” mentality on what they can do without repercussions.
The two pre-dawn SWAT raids on Manafort & Stone were shocking to say the least. Who signed off on those raids? And the collusion between the Big Techs & the FBI are also shocking, who signed off on that? All conducted while DJT was president.
The agency is hopeless. Dissolve it and be vary wary about hiring anyone who ever worked there for any public sector position in the future.
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Some functions of the FBI can be parceled out to extant federal agencies. For others, new foundations may do. Small agencies with a limited book of business.
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While we’re at it, dramatically reduce the verbiage in the federal criminal code, and recalibrate its sentencing rules.
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Why not recruit federal cops the way local cops are recruited, with screening examinations? How much of the rancid culture of the FBI is attributable to it having been recruited from law school graduates?
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Why not put policing services and legal representation of the government in different departments?
The DoJ arresting people at gunpoint with SWAT teams at dawn in front of their kids for the crime of praying at an abortion clinic while ignoring firebombing and vandalism at anti-abortion pregnancy clinics and churches is sending a deliberate message. Sort of like hiring an out and proud gender fluid freak to oversee storage of nuclear waste.
Absolutely.
Antifa and BLM are similar messages…and this bullying, sick and grossly dishonest administration is sending one “message” after another:
“Biden” doing “his” damned best to “transform” the country into “The land of the freak and the home of the slave.”
Related…
“Another Disturbing Video of ‘Rachel’ Levine Is Going Viral”—
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2022/12/26/another-disturbing-video-of-rachel-levine-is-going-viral-n1656312
I want to know how many FBI agents really thought conducting operations against a sitting president, without the evidence of a crime, was the right thing to do. I can say that their actions leave me stunned.
Big Brother is real and he’s here. Democracy is already dead.
We know that government agencies like the IRS and others have been loading up on weapons and ammo for years. Seems like the Democrats knew where their abuses would ultimately lead and they’ve been getting ready.
The military has been weeding out conservatives as fast as possible. Will those who remain fire on civilians? That’s another reason for the incessant demonizing and othering of conservatives.
Prof. Hanson leaves no other possible conclusion; the FBI must be defunded and disbanded. Only its investigatory laboratory functions retained. It’s criminal functions turned over to other agencies like the Federal Marshall’s. Independent investigations must follow of every organ of the Deep State with all upper management placed on paid leave with independent, transparent oversight. Wrongdoing prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
None of that will happen of course. Congress is a den of thieves and the DOJ fully complicit. And a corrupt traitor sits in the WH.
JFM asks:
“I want to know how many FBI agents really thought conducting operations against a sitting president, without the evidence of a crime, was the right thing to do.”
All. Of. Them.
“Stunned”? Son you need to turn it up a notch or two.
Stunned is what happens when you hit a mullet with a baseball bat. This FBI stuff is of a magnitude or two beyond stunned.
Remember when they drove out chad joy for calling out the fraud againsf ted stevens or robin (lne) who filed a lawsuit against mcabe and drew the wrathon general flynn for defending her
Excellent idea, Skip. A proper decapitation is indicated, followed by thorough investigations and prosecutions.
Introducing “Equity” and other forms of “Transformation” in a society is always going to result in a few wrinkles. No revolution can be expected to run entirely smoothly. In fact, it often gets quite messy—in spite of people’s “best” intentions…or, actually, because of them…. In fact, for “Biden”, the messier the better.
“Introducing” Equity? Sorry, make that “ramming through POLICIES of DESTABILIZATION, FEAR, ANXIETY, DESPAIR and DESTRUCTION”.
(There, fixed it.)
Nonetheless, everything is going more or less to the Grand Plan, as crisis after crisis “unfolds” with admirable regularity; even Gaia is doing her very best to help the promoters of “UNITY” and “DEMOCRACY” proclaim poverty throughout the land:
“Buffalo Is Plunged Into Chaos With Brazen Looters Destroying Stores?”—
https://blazingcatfur.ca/2022/12/26/buffalo-is-plunged-into-chaos-with-brazen-looters-destroying-stores/
Key question:
“Why isn’t the looting throughout Buffalo even a story?”
Alas, poor innocent…. For the same reason why the most corrupt and destructive administration in American history is “not a story”.
Why the Twitter shenanigans is “not a story”.
Why Hunter Biden (along with dear old dad) is “not a story”.
Why consistently “wonky” elections is “not a story”.
Why the “Biden” “Administration”‘s avid and enthusiastic PURSUIT OF INJUSTICE is not a story.
Etc.
Oh well, let’s give it a try…
It’s not a story because:
Looting is “Equity”.
Looting is “Justice”.
Looting is the epitome of morality…and one major step on the way to achieving the destruction of that callous colossus that was created so that BLACKS could be slaves in perpetuity. (If you doubt this, just read the 1619 Project!)
Actually, the question really ought to be, “How can a group of Revolutionaries buffalo an entire country?”
The House of Brandon:
https://redstate.com/kiradavis/2022/12/26/liar-liar-pants-on-fire-ny-rep-elect-george-santos-admits-to-lying-about-pretty-much-everything-during-his-campaign-n679490
Is this news? Brandon would never admit to such a thing.
I am still trying to figure out why the deep state was and is so determined to destroy Trump.
Maybe someone can help me out on this.
None of that will happen of course. Congress is a den of thieves and the DOJ fully complicit. And a corrupt traitor sits in the WH.
I agree but after the economic collapse that I expect within the next few years, there may be a serious effort to restore the country as it was or, probably more likely, a dictator of left or right will arise. I will not be here to see it, which is OK with me. I don’t see any way to restore the republic. Democracies always seem to deteriorate like this.
JohnTyler on December 27, 2022 at 11:44 am said:
I am still trying to figure out why the deep state was and is so determined to destroy Trump.
Maybe someone can help me out on this.
If you find out, let me know. I have theories. My daughter is an FBI agent and hated Trump. I could not get her to tell me why. She said he was “incompetent” but that was all. Could not explain it.
Like goldtstein the two minute hate
Mike K:
But of course Brandon and his junta are competent and HRC was and is competent. Principled and ethical too. As are Comey, Mueller, and the sundry apartchks. (farce)
Or you don’t have a “need to know,” compartmentalization of sensitive information IIRC.
The left wields power because no one stands up against them with anything other than lamentations. Conservatives are good at pointing out and complaining about corruption but then do nothing to stop it.
Trump took the left’s power away from them and laughed at them. They hated him because they couldn’t control him. They were afraid of him. He knew how weak they were when confronted. He knew their power was illusory.
Unfortunately conservatives had too few people with backbones to stand with him. We allowed them to destroy him with lies, character assassination, fake investigations, fake impeachments, and constant false attacks in the press. They were relentless from the day he announced he was running. It was our fault they succeeded in driving him out because we didn’t fight back, even though we knew it was all lies.
We don’t need a leader to fight for us, we need a leader to lead us and inspire us to fight for ourselves. We are the ones who have to change, not our leaders. We had our chance and we blew it. Unless we regrow our backbones and start to fight, they will continue to control everything with increasing power until the country is lost. Let’s not blow it again because we may not have another chance. I’m not completely sure we even have one now, but we’ll never know if we don’t try.
President Trump re-ignited a patriotic nationalism in middle America. He made it OK to express love for the country, while liberals/leftists are ashamed of America.
Liberals/leftists want America to be the enforcer for the global/WEF movement, not independent of it.
Trump must be destroyed as an example of what will happen to anyone that holds those views of national sovereignty. Once gone and the J6 oppression of Americans holding those views as a reminder of what happens to anyone who dissents, liberals/leftists can, unimpeded, work out the salvation of the planet.
Also, most liberals/leftists still believe Trump was a puppet of Putin, and as such, as evil as Putin– necessary for a mass formation event.
Mike K,
Can you elaborate? Even to just speculate on her ‘thinking’ since she didn’t provide a real answer.
We all know groupthink is a thing. We here can certainly be susceptible. All of us can. Perhaps your daughter works in a cocoon or an echo chamber where EVERYONE says they hate Trump. One where anyone who doesn’t hate him would be a fool to say so. Especially given that agents are being canned for failing to embrace the approved narrative.
The quotes from Sinclair, Mencken and Bryan come to mind about it being pointless to argue with someone whose paycheck depends on them disagreeing with you.
or the one from Vonnegut about people simply waiting to hear what others think and then thinking it for themselves.
Irv,
I think a big reason that GOPe types like McConnell didn’t stand with Trump is that they aren’t really conservative. A lot of politicians just want to be elected to office. If they live in a red area, they register and run as GOP. If a blue area, they identify as D. They simply pretend to hold whatever views will get them elected.
For years after Tenn was a decidedly red state, the Democrats continued to hold power in the legislature. The reason was that a large group of East Tenn Republicans would talk conservative at election time and then go to Nashville and vote for the Dem choices to lead the Senate and House. East Tenn has always been Republican. [Had the Confederate army not shown up in Greeneville to stop it, a convention of eastern counties was prepared to secede from the state at the beginning of the Civil War just as western Va had from Va. The secession effort was led by eventual VP Johnson.]
Since the news media had no interest in exposing the perfidy of the turncoats, they were able to do this for years. It wasn’t until an independent group of conservatives (led by my sister) put together funding to support conservative GOP challengers for all the Rinos and got them defeated in primaries over a few election cycles.
Note — every county and city has its own “machine” which supports and defends the reigning politicians. The small time politicians are just as focused on being politically viable as the legislators. So they never rocked the boat to make a stink about the turncoats.
This is a general point — GOP voters are generally very suspicious of government. GOP politicians are not. Not surprising. Genuine libertarians and conservatives aren’t very interested in running for office. Who would?
So we are always likely to be disappointed with the Bushes, Cheneys, Romneys, McCains and McConnells. They really aren’t of us or for us.