For Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the weaponization of the criminal justice system has always followed a certain Casablanca pattern. Like Claude Rains as the venerable Captain Louis Renault, it is simply a matter of “rounding up the usual suspects.” Grassley released FBI whistleblower records on Thursday showing that an anti-Trump figure, former FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault, previously found to have violated the Hatch Act was a key factor in pushing the election charges brought by former Special Counsel Jack Smith.Grassley suggested that Thibault violated protocol in opening and advancing the FBI’s initial probe into the 2020 election without sufficient predication. The investigation, called Operation Arctic Frost, was opened on April 13, 2022.
Years later, “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, [Thibault] walked” into Grassley’s.
Whistleblowers alleged that Thibault’s alleged “partisanship” likely impacted investigations involving President Trump and Hunter Biden. Thibault was previously named as the agent who effectively scuttled the investigation into Hunter Biden and his laptop.
Fox News reported that a February 14, 2022 email revealed Thibault communicating with a subordinate agent on the foundations for an investigation of Trump. In another email ten days later to John Crabb, a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Thibault states “I had a discussion with the case team and we believe there to be predication to include former President of the United States Donald J. Trump as a predicated subject.”
The emails, and others detailed in the report, show Thibault pushing the investigation — in sharp contrast to his role in the Biden investigations.
Grassley and others are citing the evidence as supporting the need to “clean house” at the FBI and root out those who actively participated in the politicization of the criminal justice process.
For those of us familiar with Thibault from the Hunter Biden investigation, his role in the origins of the Smith investigation is deeply concerning. Whistleblowers previously accused Thibault of “circumventing normal process and procedure to open full field investigations.” He was later found by the Inspector General to be violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in certain political activities.
The violations included Thibault retweeting social media posts by the Lincoln Project, a vehemently anti-Trump group.
George,
Timothy Thibault – Added to ‘The List’
“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”
– Barack Obama
___________________
“We will stop him.”
– Peter Strzok to FBI paramour Lisa Page
_____________________________________________
“[Obama] wants to know everything we’re doing.”
– Lisa Page to FBI paramour Peter Strzok
_____________________________________________
“I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office — that there’s no way he gets elected — but I’m afraid we can’t take that risk It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before 40.”
– Peter Strzok to FBI parmour Lisa Page
____________________________________________
“People on the 7th floor to include Director are fired up about this [Trump] server.”
– Bill Priestap
________________
“I had a discussion with the case team and we believe there to be predication to include former President of the United States Donald J. Trump as a predicated subject.”
– Timothy Thibault to John Crab, U.S. Attorney’s Office, D. C.
__________________________________________________________________
The Obama Coup D’etat in America is the most egregious abuse of power and the most prodigious crime in American political history. The co-conspirators are:
Kevin Clinesmith, Bill Taylor, Eric Ciaramella, Rosenstein, Mueller/Team, Andrew Weissmann,
James Comey, Christopher Wray, McCabe, Strozk, Page, Laycock, Kadzic, Sally Yates,
James Baker, Bruce Ohr, Nellie Ohr, Priestap, Kortan, Campbell, Sir Richard Dearlove,
Christopher Steele, Simpson, Joseph Mifsud, Alexander Downer, Stefan “The Walrus” Halper,
Azra Turk, Kerry, Hillary, Huma, Mills, Brennan, Gina Haspel, Clapper, Lerner, Farkas, Power,
Lynch, Rice, Jarrett, Holder, Brazile, Sessions (patsy), Nadler, Schiff, Pelosi, Obama,
Joe Biden, James E. Boasberg, Emmet Sullivan, Gen. Milley, George Soros, John McCain,
Marc Elias, Igor Danchenko, Fiona Hill, Charles H. Dolan, Jake Sullivan, Strobe Talbot,
Cody Shear, Victoria Nuland, Ray “Red Hat” Epps, Don Berlin, Kathy Ruemmler, Rodney Joffe,
Paul Vixie, L. Jean Camp, Andrew Whitney, Lisa O. Monaco, Fani Willis, Alvin Bragg,
Matthew Colangelo, Merrick Garland, Juan Merchan, Timothy Thibault et al.
# You’ve left the Pope off the list. He’s General Francis bringing up the southern flank and emotional blackmail.
# ^^^^DON’T FORGET THE POPE. Don’t forget the Battle of Anzio, the holy see’s alliance with Mussolini and Hitler and the Pope’s prayers for adolph on his b-day not to mention the emotional blackmail of parishioners as the US tries to uphold the laws and the recent attempt and before SCOTUS to claim Ed funds in oklahoma all the while China has moved into Mexico, and Central America . He’s on the list.
Will this be censored?
It’s definitely an oversimplification, but so much of what has crumbled in this country is due to what amounts to bad – if not whole hog corrupt – management. It is downright spooky how close we came to transforming into a Marxist country. Root them ALL out! And hold fast through the midterms.
It is a strategy that incorporates incompetence as a tool to manipulate? Yes, it is or was. DJT is aware.
FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault
Is it too late for Biden to pardon him, too?
I have a feeling that Biden’s et al are in for some Pam Bondi and Kash Patel equal justice.
People like Thibault are the ones that give agencies like the FBI a bad name. These kind of people need to be shown the door, and then charged if any crimes were committed. More good agents within the FBI need to come forward and call out the bad apples.
Let’s stop scapegoating subordinate federal employees following orders from superiors. The problem is primarily “systematic” and only the agency heads and politicians can reform those problems.
Top management also controls agency culture, it starts at the top. Does an agency system follow their oath of office to uphold the U.S. Constitution or to be disloyal to that sacred oath?
Like most of us, employees (including federal employees) have families, mortgages, college tuition and living expenses. Not following orders from superiors at minimum might lower their income or destroy their livelihood completely.
Only the top management and politicians can reform these systems, stop scapegoating those taking orders! Reforms will only happen when top management is loyal to their constitutional oath of office.
Did you mean to say “systemic”?
While you are correct that “the fish rots from the head”, that does not preclude prosecuting those who are corrupt – wherever they are found.
Corrupt organizations are usually rolled up from the bottom up. Starting with foot soldiers flip[ping on their superiors.
Is Ed Snowden a Traitor, Yes or No?
No. He is a hero.
I agree .. . I guess that’s why we would never make it at the Confirmation Hearing, Floyd.
If Trump could stop playing Gordon ‘greed is good’ Gekko for a moment (not that there’s anything wrong with that.), and really wants to expose the rot, he should pull out his Pardon Pen .. . and issues some urgent ‘crown jewels’ declassification’ EOs pronto.
*Snowden is willing to testify in a court of law.
He is a whistleblower
Ed Snowden’s actions are no doubt, highly questionable. However, he does deserve a trial, and a conviction for treason by a jury of his peers to be labeled a “traitor”. Despite the fomenting of social trends, none of us should fall trap to labeling, or being labeled, without due process (a process the late John McCain never believed in!!).
He is a traitor. Just like Brennan, Clapper and Hayden.
Whatever else is true, Brennan, Clapper and Hayden ‘were’*, for all practical purposes, the ‘crown Jewels’ of national security [redacted] intelligence .. . Snowden is nothing like them.
*as I understand it, Trump has revoked their security clarences.
Ed Snowden is a traitor who is simultaneously a hero.
Ed Snowden became a traitor to become a hero.
Ed Snowden should be convicted of treason and sentenced to an “unconditional discharge.”
Should Obama be indicted for his treason? He gave monetary aide and comfort to a listed terrorist regime Iran while they were actively participating in a war against the United States. Which do you see as worse?
Barack Hussein “Barry ‘I-Have-A-Statue-In-Jakarta’ Soetoro” Obama defrauded America, is not a “natural born citizen,” and will never be eligible for the office of president.
The Law of Nations requires “parents,” plural, and a father who were citizens at the time of birth of the candidate to constitute a “natural born citizen.” Vattel’s Treatise was accepted throughout the Western World and was “continually in the hands of the members of our Congress, now sitting,” according to Ben Franklin, below, who was engaged in the establishment of a new nation under new fundamental law, eschewing the old rules of the British monarchy and the likes of Blackstone.
To wit,
“I am much obliged by the kind present you have made us of your edition of Vattel. It came to us in good season, when the circumstances of a rising state make it necessary frequently to consult the law of nations. Accordingly, that copy which I kept, (after depositing one in our own public library here, and sending the other to the college of Massachusetts Bay, as you directed3) has been continually in the hands of the members of our congress, now sitting, who are much pleased with your notes and preface, and have entertained a high and just esteem for their author.”
– Ben Franklin Letter to Charles Dumas, 9 December 1775
Barack Obama conducted the pervasive Obama Coup D’etat in America, schemed and colluded to falsely convict an innocent person, and acted to undermine the authority of the President of the United States as acts of actionable egregious perfidy and sabotage.
Obama should be indicted for and convicted of conspiracy, subversion, insurrection, treason, and “fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”
No, Snowden is NOT a traitor!
Treason is a matter of law and for you to claim he is a traitor is simply your personal opinion and bloviating — notwithstanding you simultaneous claim he’s a hero, to which I agree.
Treason is the only only crime defined in the United States Constitution and it’s definition is strictly narrow. It requires prosecution and conviction in open court.
Article III, Section 3, Clause 1:
“Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.”
While Snowden has been charged by the DOJ with unauthorized disclosure of national defense information he has never been charged with treason. If not even the the Obama, Trump 1, Biden and Trump 2 DOJ were/are willing to claim Snowden is a traitor, why would you?
No, Snowden is NOT a traitor!
Treason is a matter of law and for anyone to claim Snowden is a traitor is simply their personal opinion and unhinged bloviating.
Treason is the only only crime defined in the United States Constitution and it’s definition is strictly narrow.
It requires prosecution and conviction in open court.
Article III, Section 3, Clause 1:
“Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.”
While Snowden has been charged by the DOJ with unauthorized disclosure of national defense information he has never been charged with treason. If not even the the Obama, Trump 1, Biden and Trump 2 DOJ were/are willing to claim Snowden is a traitor, it’s galling in the extreme that a simpleton like Colorado Democrat Senator Michael Bennet is.
The George W. Bush era proved that tactic didn’t succeed.
Former CIA agent, John Kiriakou, was destroyed. Bush’s DOJ trumped up charges and sent him to prison for several years. Kiriakou was too loyal to his Oath of Office, he refused illegal orders to participate in torture.
Same for FBI counterterrorism agent, Mike German. He couldn’t be loyal to his Oath of Office so he had to leave the FBI.
So no it doesn’t move upwards from the bottom. Both were upholding Ronald Reagan’s Torture Treaty which is also federal law. Article VI makes such treaties part of constitutional law.
Only top management can reform these agencies.
The point of purging the FBI of good agents is to instill fear into the remaining ones so that they don’t open investigations at all into Trump’s allies. The next step is to concentrate Trump loyalists in the FBI into special units that will go after his political rivals and disfavored organizations.
No. FBI whistleblowers came forward to call out Thibault as a bad apple. Good FBI whistleblowers came forward to call him out for wrong doing. These good FBI agents are likely tired of bad apples like Thibault giving them and the agency a bad reputation.
Do you think Comey, McCabe, Stzork, and Paige were good agents? I do not, they conspired to subvert a duly elected president and they and their co conspirators should be held accountable for their actions. I don’t care if it was Trump or Biden, their actions were illegal and wrong, justice is coming.
The FBI did a good job under very difficult circumstances. They deserve to be praised not attacked. If anything, the FBI treated Trump much better than their other subjects of investigation. It is disgusting that Turley supports the political revenge firing of civil servants.
Comparing Trump’s crimes to Hunter is like comparing a serial killer to a shoplifter. Trump tried to destroy our democracy (and succeeding now) and Hunter did low level tax and gun purchase crimes.
Whistleblowers called out Thibault as being a bad apple. It is not political revenge if he committed acts of wrong doing. Trump did not try to destroy our democracy, nor is he trying now. He is getting the stupid and crazy from the Biden admin and perhaps the Obama admin out of the government. We do not need DEI in the federal government. Trump is doing exactly what we voted for him to do.
It appears Gigi traveled to Canada to get her monthly supply of
gender affirmingbatshlt crazy hormones knowing that the science™ has now recommended that the US Feds shouldnt be supplying them anymore. What is unknown is whether Gigi stole any Louis Vuitton luggage at the airport baggage claim while in 🇨🇦🧳👜
Your handlers are not sending us their better trolls
ROFLMAO
Franke – the FBI has a LONG LONG history of all kinds of corruption – whether it is the political corruption of the 60’s or their criminal actions at Ruby Ridge or Wacco, or the botched Jewel, and Anthrax cases, or …..
While there are certainly some good people in the FBI – the organization has a long long list of failures that all lead to systemic rather than individual corruption.
You want to Compare Trump to the Bidens ?
Honestly ? Please cite an Actual crime and evidence of ALL the elements of that crime that Trump has committed ?
You lost the last election for many reasons – but you lost to TRUMP because you made him into a martyr w your lawfare.
You got your indictments – though most people do not see crimes, you got your prosecutors, and your hack judges and in one case you got a corrupt verdict from a jury over a nonsense charge that no one understands – payments to a lawyer are “legal expenses” Just like buying milk is a grocery expense. Regardless, none of us want government micromanaging the lables we give to activities in our provate lives and criminalzing them based on subjective nonsense.
Regardless, after all of that – the largest jury ever convened – the US electorate aquitted.
“You don;t matter anymore”.
You claim Trump is some threat – you did that before the election – voters did not beleive you.
Trump is following and enforcing the law – something biden did not.
Trump won the Republican primary.
Won the general election
Won the electoral college,
Won the popular vote.
The candidate who won the democratic primaries was removed in a coup.
And you are claiming Trump is somehow undemocratic ?
Those of you on the left constantly play these word games.
using an trying to force the rest of us to use words YOUR way – often the opposite of what they means.
One of the problems is that in the end words are symbols. Those symbols represent reality.
Changing the meaning of the symbols does NOT change reality.
People voted against YOUR policies and YOUR values and YOUR failues,
and they voted FOR Trump’s
That is as democratic as it gets.
But we are NOT a democracy – and therefore not only is Trump bound by the requirement of the democratic support of the people,
but he must do so consistent with the law, the constitution and without abridgment individual rights.
Democrats have gone to court to thwart come of Trump’s actions – and they may succeed in some instances.
That is ACTUALLY antidemocratic – but is it the essence of a constitutional republic.
Put more simply – Trump has done absolutely nothing anti-democratic since being inaugurated.
AND beyond the checks of democracy he is still subject to those of a constitutional republic and that may thwart some of his democraticly supported policies.
It is not Trump that threatened to ignore the courts – it was the radical left democrats.
Trump has never tried to destroy our democracy – but he is working very hard to restore our constitutional republic – including democratic aspects of it.
It is the left that is the threat to both.
“Please cite an Actual crime and evidence of ALL the elements of that crime that Trump has committed ?
Prior to Trump’s announcement in 2015 that he was running for president he was the darling of the Democrats. would love to see if there were any criminal prosecutions of Trump prior to 2015. Following 2015’s announcement the long knives came out
John Say,
Well said.
Poor boy – you still believe Biden won the 2020 election.
you’re too funny
All systems down…
Senator Grassley seems to be an honest man.
I hope that Kash Patel understands that the corruption at the FBI runs a lot deeper than just Christopher Wray and Andrew McCabe. Unfortunately, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault is just one of many Jonathan. Thank you for an excellent article. Please keep them coming. Greg
“the corruption at the FBI runs a lot deeper than just Christopher Wray and Andrew McCabe.”
The FBI is on the list of David Stockman’s Federal agencies that should be eliminated. That should pretty well resolve the problem you mentioned. I disagree with Stockman on some issues, but not on this one.
Slash The Fat: 16 Agencies To Terminate
https://brownstone.org/articles/slash-the-fat-16-agencies-to-terminate/
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation is a Washington institution steeped in ignominy and disdain for constitutional liberty and democracy. Its forerunner was created during the horrific Red Scare Raids of Attorney General Mitchell in 1919; it flourished prosecuting the idiotic regime of Prohibition during the 1920s; rose to malefic aspect during the Hoover era of Communist witch-hunting and vicious prosecution of civil rights and peace leaders like Martin Luther King Jr; became a fount of false fear-mongering, stings, and entrapment ploys during the War on Terror; and ended up being weaponized by Deep State nomenklatura to destroy the duly elected President of the United States in 2016 and after.
In short, that’s 100 years of assault on the rule of law, not its promotion. That history is reason enough to abolish the FBI completely, thereby shrinking the Federal payroll by more than 37,000, at a savings of $6 billion in direct compensation costs and another $5 billion in overhead and operating expenses.”
Stockman neglects to mention the FBI’s role in the massacre of 73 men, women, and children in Mt. Carmel, Texas in 1993 for the crimes of attempting to exercising their 1st and 2nd Amendment rights. FBI and ATF can both be entirely eliminated.
Amen
“The FBI is on the list of David Stockman’s Federal agencies that should be eliminated.”
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Wrong. Congress should have conducted constitutional direct oversight of the FBI and impeached and convicted the corrupt “civil officers” of the FBI going back the better part of a century.
Why hasn’t it?
Has Congress become an antithetical, anti-American, foreign organization with foreign beliefs, traditions, and allegiances through mass illegal and parasitic communist immigration for the past 150 years?
“Wrong”
Nothing you wrote about Congress (with which I largely agree) refutes ANYTHING that Stockman or I claimed about the FBI’s disregard for Liberty and the Constitution, its lack of a crucial and justifiable mission, or the proposal that it be eliminated. So, what was “wrong”? Did you intend to write “incomplete”? Otherwise provide some real rebuttal to the claims. If you can.
The FBI cannot be eliminated. Its corrupt officers must be impeached.
The soon-to-be new management team at the FBI will have its hands full cleaning out the sordid detritus of years and years of systemic corruption in the agency. Hardworking and honest FBI field agents – and there are many that fit this description – were used as “cover” by headquarters’ apparatchiks looking to please their boss and their boss’s boss, the AG and POTUS. Guys like Tim Thibault, a field agent at best, were wannabees, seeing their ambitions satisfied by overreaching to please the masters in the hope of someday becoming one.
But Thibault’s problems have just begun. Despite the evidence presented by Grassley and the FBI whistleblowers, Thibault may have been clever enough to cover his tracks or at least preserve grounds for his credible deniability. That does not appear to be the case with Thibault’s alleged actions with respect to obstructing the FBI case against Hunter Biden. On August 19, 1922, Thibault retired from the FBI – one day after Sen. Ron Johnson officially requested Inspector General Michael Horowitz to look into FBI whistleblower allegations of coverup in the handling of Biden’s laptop.
On August 31, 2022, Catherin Herridge of CBS News reported Grassley’s reaction to Thibault’s resignation and retirement from the FBI. According to CBS News, when asked about Thibault’s resignation, Grassley stated, “Mr. Thibault’s blatant partisanship undermined the work and reputation of the FBI. This type of bias in high-profile investigations casts a shadow over all of the bureau’s work that he was involved in, which ranged from opening an investigation into Trump based on liberal news articles to shutting down investigative activity into Hunter Biden that was based on verified information.”
That latter allegation – shutting down investigative activity into Hunter Biden – might prove to be Thibault’s Achilles heel. His “blatant partisanship” may have undermined his work and the reputation of the FBI, but it is not the kind of stuff prosecutors seek to build criminal cases around. However, obstructing an official investigation often leaves traces and evidence that can be used effectively to criminally charge those responsible for such acts. If I were Thibault, I would be worried about that infamous hard knock on my door at 6 am by some of his former coworkers dishonored and humiliated by his alleged corrupt actions.
JJC,
Great comment and analysis.
jjc: Who are you? Deep Throat? Let’s see some links.
You want to see links? Go order some sausage and eggs…🤣
There is nothing more Svelaz would like than to deep throat someone.
Traveler-Well said. Eggs over well. Pork sausage and not turkey.
@jjc: Don’t worry. I suspect that Pam Bondi will take no prisoners.
Thank you for this additional information, JJC! I wonder whether there are pension forfeiture provisions for these nefarious and potentially criminal activities.
JJc-Excellent summary. Keep it up. Another lucid voice in the perpetual fog that surrounds D.C.
Rooting out the rotten personnel is like draining an infection, it is necessary and it helps, but the primary infection needs to be cured. Our system, as it is currently configured, creates rotten personnel.
Step one, cut corruption by half by cutting the budget by half. Step two, clean up the wasteful, counterproductive, and evil cash flows. Step three, use rigorous oversight and transparency to force honesty and ethical behavior into the system. Step four, actual consequences not sternly worded letters. Too much is hidden and there is too little respect for public funds.
We’re looking at you Crossfire Hurricane conspiracy participants. We’re looking at you insider trading congresscritters. We’re looking at you endless war profiteers.
Crossfire Hurricane involved all branches of the federal government. FISA court, Congress, the sitting president and his administration — FBI, CIA. It also includes foreign ‘allies.’
CIA Director Ratcliffe was talking about Brennan and that there was no predicate to even open an investigation into President Trump.
The IC is completely corrupt.
>”The IC is completely corrupt”
That’s classified far above Congress’ level.
…
Confirmation Hearing: ‘Do you renounce Satan, Traitor Ed Snowden, and all their works’, Yes or No’
Tulsi Gabbard: Senator, I’m not Catholic.
Excellent.
The singular American failure is the judicial branch, with emphasis on the Supreme Court.
It should be easier for the government to identify insider trading activity now that the SEC has a huge repository of trading data. The Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) captures all equity trading – it’s a tad Orwellian, isn’t it.
OldFish-guillotines are under used these days. Maybe time to roll them out. I’m sure the French have some stored away, just in case.
GEB
In today’s world, taking all their cash and property would be just punishment.
What about the other ‘usual suspects’ which haven’t been held accountable in their plots against President Trump, directly, and the People, indirectly?
And in spite of this, no one will be punished. The sinners in the Senate expect cabinet nominees to be saints, and the criminals the Senators hire to do the dirty work of character destruction are not punished. Why not?
If a J6’er can be left to rot in jail with no trial, why can’t the criminals in government at least get a finger joint cut off? Maybe just the end of a pinkie to show there really are consequences when “wink,wink”, we all know deep inside it is all for show.
Chance are they will be rewarded. Strzock and Page got over $2MILLION payout from taxpayers.
Scorched earth – raze the building – fire everyone – start over fresh.
So correct!
Actual patriotic Americans, their Nation, their Constitution, their Bill of Rights.
____________________________________________________________________________________
“[We gave you] a [restricted-vote] republic, if you can keep it.”
– Ben Franklin
_________________
You couldn’t.
________________
“We the People…Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity.”
– American Founders
________________________
You didn’t.
Aside from the names most Americans were aware of what was going on but when will these people be held accountable? Termination does nothing, their ultimately given position’s by their democrat cronies and in a few years like a bad penny they show up again.
What happens when neither party will acknowledge the problem? In constitutional precedent and legal precedent, past rulings in court cases determine future verdicts in future court cases.
In order to restore the constitutional system, Americans have to fix the “foundation” and stop building on a false-foundation.
For both Originalist (foreign model) and Constructionists, Article VI of the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789. The Bill of Rights were ratified in 1791.
Under constitutional precedent, each and every agency (at conception) was and is required to “circumscribe” the U.S. Constitution. This is the root of the problem. Agencies assumed unconstitutional authorities with amending the U.S. Constitution.
For example: Article VI of the U.S. Constitution combined with Ronald Reagan’s Torture Treaty outlaws torture and cruel treatment by any American official or contractor. Federal agencies did it anyway and covert blacklisting (felony crime) has continued for more than 20+ years by both parties.
Today in 2025, we have a highly profitable covert “Blacklisting Industry”. The DOJ drives and funds “Fusion Centers” (unconstitutional blacklisting centers) in every state. In 2021, the FBI Director approves 3.4 million backdoor searches in violation of the 4th Amendment.
Congress allowed this unconstitutional conduct through Section 702 authority (illegal authority not allowed under our Constitution). The U.S. Supreme Court has the top duty of overturning unconstitutional laws and practices since “Marbury v. Madison” and “Fletcher v. Peck”.
It’s been the Wild West in America for at least 20 years! There has been no constitutional rule of law for more than 20 years. Neither party will own up to it.
The problem is not a single member of Congress or a President wants to risk relaxing the 702 authority and then terrorists make a successful attack in the USA. The recriminations would destroy anyone who approved\voted for the change.
First of all Professor I must compliment you on the choice of the cinema you watch. Casablanca is a perfect scenario in which to place the machinations of our esteemed FBI.
I guess you could use other names like Cabal, clique, nest of vipers, coven, and you would cover the same thing. I’m happy about this development,to a degree, because maybe we won’t have to burn down the whole edifice and maybe we will get away with only removing a floor or 2, or 3 from FBI headquarters. I suppose now we need a true investigation as we look at friends, aquantences, vacation buddies, and co-conspirators and associated contacts in other depts, both law enforcement and closely allied to it. I would suggest the Secret Service or the Marshals Service should stage a raid on this gentleman’s home with firearms drawn at about 5 in the morning and terrify him and his loved ones like the FBI has done to so many others.
This rot started back in 2008-2016 with too many of that administration burrowing in to permanent positions like termites and now we get to see the rotten underpinnings that they have been eating away at. And the nation is poorer for it. It was a plague of a different type but no less lethal to the nation.
I want to see reform so it does not happen again and I want to see transparency of assignments, prohibition of any destruction of e-mails and texts and rigid rules in place that can’t be changed by every administration with drastic action with immediate action by the IG
We have AI now and many of the tech industry signed on with the Trump Administration. There should be a means of tracking and identifying miscreants such as this and their constructs. That is what the IG should be doing in a proactive model with full investigatory powers and options to prosecute.
Are we “shocked, shocked” to see such corruption in a government agency that is part of the Department of Justice? I’m thinking that, in addition to prosecution for criminal activities, forfeiture of government pensions and other benefits would be appropriate.
“We have AI now and many of the tech industry signed on with the Trump Administration. There should be a means of tracking and identifying miscreants such as this and their constructs.”
When Fedgov extensively adopts AI, my prediction is that the models ultimately will be trained that certain persons, departments, and interests are sacrosanct, and are never to show up in the results of searches for nefarious activity. This will fundamentally be nothing but a technology-amplified version of what happens now, ntm another hole to throw tax money down. The identity of the immune and the targets may vary somewhat from one administration to the next, but the results will be equivalent. This mirrors the history of our Federal government. Whenever the people actually manage to work themselves into an uproar over government abuses, they subsequently allow themselves to be lulled back into semi-consciousness by a lot of hand waving and cosmetic changes, and the abuses continue unabated. Would I like to believe that Trump will be able to make a long-term change in that behavior (assuming he even wants to, which I am slightly less than 100% convinced about)? Yes, I would. But, based on my observations over a lifetime, I really do not.
“I would suggest the Secret Service or the Marshals Service should stage a raid on this gentleman’s home….”
I often wonder if we shouldn’t, at least temporarily, use the Marshals Service to run the FBI and investigate it. Otherwise theFBI has to be less prominent and the leaders should exist based on merit.
According to Shakespeare, Romeo killed Thibault several centuries ago.
Do you bite your thumb at me Sir?
Dear Mr. Turley, this is a great example of what Christ proclaimed in the Scriptures when He said, “What’s done in darkness will be shouted from the rooftops”. Sometimes it takes longer than other times but, eventually, evil is exposed, and it turns on itself.
It’s a time period. It’s also repetitive. The conditions producing it happen over and over as part of mankind’s history.
Where, exactly, will evolving revelations of FBI personnel corruption and its depth under the slug at 1600’s regime end?
why do Democrats violations of rules and laws never result in jail? Just promotions to big time law firms, tech, lobbyists, universities, banks, etc?
Now do Donnie with his hoarding of TS/SCI dox in an unsecured bathroom.
Wally, Wally, Wally…..
Not sure what you’re confused about. Presidents are allowed to declassify documents, for any reason, at any time, they don’t need anyone’s permission. Trump could have used used those docs as coasters at Mar a Lago, if he wanted to. I hope that clears this up for you. I seem to recall a certain Sec of State that kept classified docs hidden in her bathroom too, except she didn’t have any power to declassify documents, for the life of me, I can’t remember how the FBI handled that case.
very good – but the left wing nut claims are weaker than that.
The WH docs of a president are their personal property – they have been since GW.
The PRA danced arround the edges of that – Congress does not have the power to infringe on purely executive constitutional perogatives.
Which is why the espionage act does not apply to presidents.
Regardless to courts sorted out the PRA by determining that the PRA consists of a grant of assistance to the president – allowing NARA – to take “custody” not ownership of a presidents Docs for the purpose of protecting them – and sparing the president the cost.
In Jw. V. NARA Judge ABJ decided that not only can the president take any docs from the WH he wants – classified or NOT,
But neither the courts, nor NARA has any authroity to take them back.
Classified or Declassified – the Docs that Trump took to MAL as HIS PROPERTY to do with as he pleases.
Or as with Clinton – Trump can have classified tapes in his sock drawer if he wants.
Followed by the documents stored in Joe Biden’s very secure garage. Or maybe his even more secure office at the University of Pennsylvania.
I grant you that the documents should not have been at Mar-A-Lago even though Trump was the President. But in the garage of a Vice President?
The big deal about Biden is these were Docs from his time as a senator and VP.
Senators may NEVER be in personal possession of classified docs PERIOD.
VP’s have limited declassification authority, and ex-vp’s while having broad access to classified docs are STILL required to comply with the espionage act and follow the presidential EO’s regarding handling classified material
Presidents have infinite declassification authority, and OWN WH docs from their term, and with respect to THOSE docs, have no obligations regarding the law or presidential EO’s
Agreed.
Wrong, John Say.
Temporary, Portable, and Modular SCIFs are precisely for the purpose of assisting members of Congressional Intelligence committees (and others) with that option.
That was Hillary Rotten Clinton Wally. Think how ridiculous you are, Biden stealing classified documents for years without legal clearance. The President taking documents to his house as ALL Presidents do, he’s now again President after winning a third election in a row. Oh the horror, why did Anthony Weiner have classified documents on his laptop? Why did Hunter Biden’s emails with Chinese “Business associates” have eerily similar content as to various classified document information?
FJB, Hillary, Bill…fool
Or CNN, MSNBC….
Roll out the guillotines, we’ll have a barrel of fun (heads)!