Earlier this week, reporting surfaced about a dispute between federal prosecutors and the FBI over whether to seek a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago. The dispute dragged on for months and resulted in what the reporting characterizes as a “tense showdown” in late July between agents and prosecutors, before prosecutors ultimately won out and the search warrant was obtained and executed on August 8, resulting in the recovery of 103 classified documents.
Sorry, Joyce, but you have to be a Washington Post subscriber to read Rubin's piece. I do think SOME FBI agents might've been concerned about possible retaliation by trump or his political cronies, because he fired James Comey, even after Comey went after Hillary's emails again just prior to the 2016 election, which may have given trump the win, argh! Then he didn't like McCabe, who I liked a lot. trump screwed over McCabe by firing him a day b4 he earned his full retirement, and that is about as chickesh@t as a person can be. Andrew McCabe won his retirement after a lawsuit I believe, but still. The other concern though is that there are FBI trump loyalists in the ranks. That is not a pleasant thought. As for "not wanting to become a Banana Republic?" I think we are very close to being there Right Smack NOW! Changing subjects a bit, I am so pissed at the Repubs who went after Merrick Garland. All the insurrectionists chewed on him, and he held his own, but come on, Bill Barr NEVER once sat before an oversight committee. Hope they get him in the net, too. Hope the chickens are becoming acclimated to their new house. The end.
“ Imagine if, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the national security community did not evaluate how it missed the telltale signs of an imminent attack”
To continue a point I was making before, I think it is a conscious choice by the FBI to have downplayed information on January 6. You can be damn well assured that they now are tracking even the slightest hint of terrorism, to the nth degree.
Everyone knows the truth. That is why the republicans will lose again in 2024. They’re all either insane or too afraid to speak up to 45 if he gets the nomination and we’ll be right back where we started but Americans aren’t going to have it.
The problem isn't the "republicans" anymore. Last night, someone finally showed how the fl gov is modeling his state on Orban's Hungary. I can't find much on the internet
about Hungary (not surprised) but it's the constant bs state takeover of institutions and pushing lies. It's the constant denial of covid and FL went over the cliff.
Lots will change between now and then and I'm not looking forward to it.
(I think everybody should read this. It’s a few years old but describes the playbook being used by Republicans today. Seriously. Think about the fact that Conservatives held CPAC In Hungary!! That was no accident).
I know all too well about Orban and how DeInsane (he ain't sane) is modeling FL after Hungary. Yes, carlson hit the circuit - first going on RT and putin loving that then going to Hungary blast his propaganda. It's why I've been so confused about Hungary accepting refugees from Ukraine. Orban has been touting his zero-population growth and they just got a whole bunch more ... slaves from putin?
I think our last Hope is to GOTV. Even that is a challenge with all the anti-voting laws coming through the state legislatures. Does anyone read “the daily docket?“ It is horrifying and scary. Of course it is nothing new since Nixon (maybe earlier? My knowledge of recent history does not go further back than that) but the only way Republicans can win is by cheating and lying.
I love that Biden makes a point of distinguishing between Republicans and maga Republicans. And even happier that the news covers the speeches where he says that. It gives moderate Republicans “permission“ to oppose the radicals within their own party, and hopefully, vote Democrat if need be.
I'm with you, Bill, about "Trump loyalists in the ranks" of the FBI, from top to bottom. Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but ... the seemingly inexplicable lack of preparation for the J6 violent insurrection becomes explained through willful support for Trump and his attempted coup. Here's the quote from Joyce that tripped this switch for me today: "... the national security community did not evaluate how it missed the telltale signs of an imminent attack. The failure of leadership in the Jan. 6 case is inexcusable." I would suggest the national security community did not "miss the telltale signs of an imminent attack." Rather, they willfully ignored those signs and hoped the Capitol Police would not pick up on them in order to be better prepared. This, I propose, is NOT a failure of leadership as much as an abject failure of our assumed safeguards. A truly frightening situation that remains unresolved because so many of the 2021 players are still in position of control of that very same national security apparatus (Christopher Wray et al). Your thoughts?
At this point, I have exceeded my ability to pay for any more subscriptions, and my tolerance for reading any more political analysis. But I have subscribed to his substack… I’m a glutton for punishment
I agree. We ARE a banana republic. Ask Barr ... wait ... he'll lie. So ask Paul Ryan and you'll get silence. Ask Thomas - either of them ... wait ... they'll lie. Ask McCarthy and he'll say, "I have to check with my handlers and get back to you." You could also ask putin or orban but they're busy with a couple of takeovers (here and abroad).
I had read enough tweets on Twitter prior to January 6,2021 to know there was going to be trouble at the Capitol. Why didn’t the FBI and Homeland Security prepare for what they knew might happen and after it did actually result in an assault on the peaceful transfer of power did they allow it to go on for hours? What was allowed to happen on Jan 6 was a disgraceful act of cowardice by the agencies employed to protect our country. Pure cowardice! Wray needs to be removed as does many of his agents and colleagues. They failed our country.
Yep, it's the one thing that bothered me about Biden. We knew the FBI fell down on the job (sure seemed on purpose) at the whiney-kavanaugh hearings. So, why hasn't something been done.
I think Biden has to tread softly in terms of going after the Republican establishment. There’s plenty there to go after, I have no doubt. Dozens of members of the House were complicit in January 6 to one degree or another.
But if a democratic administration goes after a large swath of the Republican establishment, that is not going to sit well. It would be a very bad “look.“
I feel positive about the chances for Democrats in 2024, (keep acting like crazies you mega heads!) and think that will be the start of a cleanup (one can always hope, can’t one? 😁)
45 had something planned. He thought he’d use some of them to protect HIM when he marched to the Capitol with the insurrectionists. That was his plan anyway.
When I watched the seditionists on Jan 6 thru live coverage I kept saying to myself where is the intelligence from our LE? I still don't understand. The FBI knew but did not act to stop the seditionists by coordinating w LE on the ground. What has happened to my country.
I had heard 45 had a large number of police that he was saving because he intended to use them to help in stopping the certification of the electoral votes on J6. I don’t remember my source exactly but that was the gist of it. Something to that effect.
"Rubin reviews the evidence and concludes that “the extent to which the FBI was aware of credible threats but did not prepare is breathtaking,” What, How, and now WHY. It's late, but we need the answer.
Good morning Tutone. Here is where your response took me.
WHAT, HOW (in a way that), WHY... is there other evidence, more than doing nothing to prepare? What exactly were they not prepared to stop? Were they part of the coup? Who is they?
SO THAT... What did they expect to come from the coup? 1. They wanted FBI to be the secret-police employing underhanded and terrorist methods against persons suspected of disloyalty to the fragmented/chaotic/incoherent ideas of tfg? 2. They actually thought a dictator would make America a better place? 3. They hadn't thought that far?
This 'support what they support' thing does not make sense to me. Most very conservative people are also very religious,, not all, but most. They are supporting a man without a religious thought or feeling in his entire sensibilities? Dictators usually choose the beliefs of their country's folks... I'm not thinking that liberal Jesus would be tfg's choice. All he wants to conserve is his wealth. We don't hire stupid people to become FBI agents. I'm stunned and stumped.
What's the level of corruption in the US government? Shall we peel the onion? How bad is it? We still don't know, but Joyce did some peeling in Unresolved Questions: The FBI and January 6
Among her questions --' Why was the FBI reaction in this investigation different than it would have been in other cases with similar evidence and whether that difference was out of concern in investigating a—any—former president, or whether it was specifically because it was Trump?'
According to Jennifer Rubin, who Joyce's quoted, 'The Government Accountability Office issued a report this week concerning the performance of multiple agencies and police units regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Among its findings: The FBI “did not consistently follow agency policies or procedures for processing tips or potential threats because they did not have controls to ensure compliance with policies.”
'In the weeks preceding the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the FBI obtained information across other sources indicating potential threats. Through human source reporting, investigations, and observed activity, the FBI identified the increasing threat of violence at high profile special events, such as the 2020 election and 2021 presidential inauguration. FBI officials we spoke with said that from December 29, 2020, through January 6, 2021, they tracked domestic terrorism subjects that were traveling to Washington, D.C., and developed reports related to January 6 events. As of January 6, 2021, FBI officials noted that the Washington Field Office was tracking 18 domestic terrorism subjects as potential travelers to the D.C. area.'
'Worse, the bureau has not undertaken the kind of systematic self-evaluation needed to correct glaring inadequacies. “The ongoing FBI review of its actions during the weeks preceding January 6, 2021, has not included an assessment of how it processed information. '
-- See Rubin's Opinion 'Christopher Wray is getting away with doing a lousy job' for which Joyce provided a link. Here's a gifted link to it: as well
We are more than wondering after two years and two months after Jan. 6 why Trump and the other ringleaders are still running free and in our government. Could corruption have anything to do with it?
This is so critical and we need more answers to Joyce’s and Jennifer’s questions:
[“What's the level of corruption in the US government? Shall we peel the onion? How bad is it? We still don't know, but Joyce did some peeling in Unresolved Questions: The FBI and January 6”]…………
[“According to Jennifer Rubin …………The FBI “did not consistently follow agency policies or procedures for processing tips or potential threats because they did not have controls to ensure compliance with policies.”]
Thank you Joyce V. and Jennifer R. for bringing these questions to the forefront ……and Wray definitely needs to go!!!!!
Ah, man, thanks for that link. We get subscriptions but I never remember the passwords. That's Jennifer Rubin. Hope it get's referenced on the media today.
Ok could be a very naïve question, but historically doesn’t the FBI have a fairly conservative outlook on political matters? I’m thinking of the FBI involvement with many civil rights organizations in the 60s. I know that’s a long time ago, but culture is a very persistent foundation.
Yes, Tracy there is a " fairly conservative outlook" on political matters. In the 60's the LA's FBI office would monitor UCLA anti-war demonstrations from a good view on the elevated steps of a nearby Campus building adequate for a quick departure.
There is a long very long history going back to Hoover & his DC office post-WWI "Red Scare" tactics.
I have found it 'best practice'to refer to specific FBI personnel and/ or specific offices such as the NY Office's impact on Director James Comey in the last days of the 2016 H. Clinton - J. Trump presidential campaign.
Thank you Professor for the Link to the GAO Report the foundation for Jennifer 'Pro Privacy' Rubin's writing. Rubin's website: https://co/vvaXVjgxi5.
PolitiTweet publishes a "Deleted Tweet Archive" for JRubinBlogger.
OFF TOPIC & just for the record, I must post my vigorous disagreement with Rubin about the risks of the Omicron subvariants & "Long Term Covid" particulary in light of recently published medical research in Nature arising from diligent work at NIH in Bethesda, MD. Per Johns Hopkins CV19 Resource Center there have been over 103.5 MILLION "reported" CV19 infections in the United States to post nothing about "reported" deaths. CV19 infections, hospital admissions & fatalities are continuing.
Hello Joyce. A nice evening for a fireside chat about what really matters right now in the FBI thread to J6. It doesn’t feel like an either/or situation to me. I recall there was a major player in the FBI preventing information getting out about plans for the insurrection and then about allowing reinforcements to the capitol that day. Did any of those FBI agents get subpoenaed to testify? I seem to recall some did but no news about their testimony that I’m aware of. Do you think we will ever get the truth? Thanks for your timely report on what really matters 🇺🇸
I saved Rubin’s column this morning to share. She is always excellent, but this was, as you note, outstanding. Thank you for reinforcing the need for accountability in the FBI.
YES. I've been wondering why he was kept in that job for more than a year. We need someone with impeccable character who is non-partisan to lead the FBI. That is not Christopher Wray.
I read, on Angry Staffer's Twitter page, that Biden hasn't replaced Wray because of fearing it would look partisan and that he was staffing the agencies much like The Former Guy. It sems tome though that the time to replace Wray is NOW, especially in light that he appeared on FOX NEWS this week discussing the origins of COVID. If that's not partisan behavior, what is?
And why are Cabinet members not allowed to appear on Fox? Buttigieg has done it several times. The government cannot give the appearance of partiality in such a way.
I guess you have no idea of what Wray said. I don't have a problem at all with Democrats appearing on FOX News, especially when they're like Pete Buttigieg. But Wray was there speaking about the latest theories of COVID, acting like he had the complete low-down. He also spoke about the Biden investigation, the Trump probe, etc. I realize this isn't a legal term, but Wray speaking on FAUX News about all the FBI has going on starts my "spidey" sense tingling. And as more & more news is released about FBI members not wanting to continue the Trump investigation of missing documents or even saying Trump should be notified before they knocked, well, it seems to me that something is rotten in the FBI.
I heard that one reason was that some of the FBI agents believed what Tfg and his lawyers told them that all the documents had been returned. I really think that part of the problem was some of the agents being (for whatever reason);loyal to the former president (?) and not the rule of law.
Thank you Joyce as usual for such informative information. Was this written from your new office?
“So this news raises questions, both about what happened with Mar-a-Lago as well as larger questions about whether the FBI fully appreciates the domestic terror threat the country faces from right-wing groups.”
For this I refer everyone to former Assistant Director of the FBI for Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi, he’s been calling for a criminal statute for Domestic Terrorism forever..
True. Unfortunately our current Congress makes it unlikely that a domestic terrorism law will be written and passed during at least the next two years.
Maybe..However, the margin in the House is so slim, that if it can get passed in the Senate, get enough support in the house, messaged loud enough to the country, perhaps it can shame enough House Rs to vote for it..
There is no doubt in my mind that the FBI Director must go and should have been fire by President Biden when he came into office. The FBI must have a director that can go in, make the assessments needed and make the changes that are needed to policy and procedures and to personnel. I agree that healthy debate among people in any organization is good, but if there was dragging feet and lying this suggest agents who were with the MAGA crowd and blatantly forgot who they work for. No reasonable person can say that an insurrectionist, seditionist, or anti-American of any stripes, or a racist or a bigot can take the type of Oath of Office many of these folks take, similar to one I took when I joined the Navy and be true to that oath. That oath means nothing to them. The FBI isn't the only department that needs a good house-cleaning and they all should be in the process already, and not waiting until President Biden's second term.
We have become a banana republic thanks to Garland being frozen. Medusa must be out there somewhere. That ship has sailed and it is too late for it to return to port. My unpopular opinion.
We became a banana republic sliding into authoritarianism a while ago. I saw some really strange "dots" (as in pressure points in our society) over the years. I didn't connect the dots, though. It's why I got involved in local politics because I knew I could make a difference there and had given up on DC.
I think the ship has sailed, as well. But I disagree it's due to Garland. He's just part of how a crumbling democratic republic gets knee capped.
This is just another of the many problems with the numerous instances of the FBI and Its current Director not doing the right thing. How many years and counting has Trump been given a free pass. It’s becoming a sad joke that Criminal Trump is in all likelihood going to be the GOP nominee.for president when he should be wearing an orange jumpsuit already. We are a banana Republic in reverse. Justice is not slow or delayed here, it is denied over and over for five decades in Trump’s case..
Sorry, Joyce, but you have to be a Washington Post subscriber to read Rubin's piece. I do think SOME FBI agents might've been concerned about possible retaliation by trump or his political cronies, because he fired James Comey, even after Comey went after Hillary's emails again just prior to the 2016 election, which may have given trump the win, argh! Then he didn't like McCabe, who I liked a lot. trump screwed over McCabe by firing him a day b4 he earned his full retirement, and that is about as chickesh@t as a person can be. Andrew McCabe won his retirement after a lawsuit I believe, but still. The other concern though is that there are FBI trump loyalists in the ranks. That is not a pleasant thought. As for "not wanting to become a Banana Republic?" I think we are very close to being there Right Smack NOW! Changing subjects a bit, I am so pissed at the Repubs who went after Merrick Garland. All the insurrectionists chewed on him, and he held his own, but come on, Bill Barr NEVER once sat before an oversight committee. Hope they get him in the net, too. Hope the chickens are becoming acclimated to their new house. The end.
Here you go, Bill, Gifted:
https://wapo.st/3J63az4
Thank you Lynell.
Ditto!
“ Imagine if, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the national security community did not evaluate how it missed the telltale signs of an imminent attack”
To continue a point I was making before, I think it is a conscious choice by the FBI to have downplayed information on January 6. You can be damn well assured that they now are tracking even the slightest hint of terrorism, to the nth degree.
(PS, thanks for the gift!)
Thank you!
Thank you, Lynell.
Thank you so much.
Barr is a savage partisan hack who has joined the ranks of John Mitchell as disgraced, power-hungry foul creatures of the right.
I first read this as "foul creatures of the night..." Both seem applicable. IMHO.
Everyone knows the truth. That is why the republicans will lose again in 2024. They’re all either insane or too afraid to speak up to 45 if he gets the nomination and we’ll be right back where we started but Americans aren’t going to have it.
The problem isn't the "republicans" anymore. Last night, someone finally showed how the fl gov is modeling his state on Orban's Hungary. I can't find much on the internet
about Hungary (not surprised) but it's the constant bs state takeover of institutions and pushing lies. It's the constant denial of covid and FL went over the cliff.
Lots will change between now and then and I'm not looking forward to it.
Here ya go Sherri:
It happened there: how democracy died in Hungary
-A new kind of authoritarianism is taking root in Europe — and there are warning signs for America.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/9/13/17823488/hungary-democracy-authoritarianism-trump
———
(I think everybody should read this. It’s a few years old but describes the playbook being used by Republicans today. Seriously. Think about the fact that Conservatives held CPAC In Hungary!! That was no accident).
And didn't Tucker Carlson and a group of MAGAts visit Hungary last year?
Yup.
Hey, Guys:
I know all too well about Orban and how DeInsane (he ain't sane) is modeling FL after Hungary. Yes, carlson hit the circuit - first going on RT and putin loving that then going to Hungary blast his propaganda. It's why I've been so confused about Hungary accepting refugees from Ukraine. Orban has been touting his zero-population growth and they just got a whole bunch more ... slaves from putin?
I think our last Hope is to GOTV. Even that is a challenge with all the anti-voting laws coming through the state legislatures. Does anyone read “the daily docket?“ It is horrifying and scary. Of course it is nothing new since Nixon (maybe earlier? My knowledge of recent history does not go further back than that) but the only way Republicans can win is by cheating and lying.
I love that Biden makes a point of distinguishing between Republicans and maga Republicans. And even happier that the news covers the speeches where he says that. It gives moderate Republicans “permission“ to oppose the radicals within their own party, and hopefully, vote Democrat if need be.
I'm with you, Bill, about "Trump loyalists in the ranks" of the FBI, from top to bottom. Not to be a conspiracy theorist, but ... the seemingly inexplicable lack of preparation for the J6 violent insurrection becomes explained through willful support for Trump and his attempted coup. Here's the quote from Joyce that tripped this switch for me today: "... the national security community did not evaluate how it missed the telltale signs of an imminent attack. The failure of leadership in the Jan. 6 case is inexcusable." I would suggest the national security community did not "miss the telltale signs of an imminent attack." Rather, they willfully ignored those signs and hoped the Capitol Police would not pick up on them in order to be better prepared. This, I propose, is NOT a failure of leadership as much as an abject failure of our assumed safeguards. A truly frightening situation that remains unresolved because so many of the 2021 players are still in position of control of that very same national security apparatus (Christopher Wray et al). Your thoughts?
Exactly! And very well stated.
Where might I find Thom's writings?
Sheila, here's a report of his I found written in April 2021. He speaks to the issue of how the Capitol Police "responded."
https://hartmannreport.com/p/jan-6th-we-dont-need-no-stinkin-commission
You're are on a roll Lynell, thank you again.
Thanks, Janet. I'll check it out!
At this point, I have exceeded my ability to pay for any more subscriptions, and my tolerance for reading any more political analysis. But I have subscribed to his substack… I’m a glutton for punishment
Thanks for the reco
You are correct Bill on the WAPO context & Comey's interagency incompetency.
I agree. We ARE a banana republic. Ask Barr ... wait ... he'll lie. So ask Paul Ryan and you'll get silence. Ask Thomas - either of them ... wait ... they'll lie. Ask McCarthy and he'll say, "I have to check with my handlers and get back to you." You could also ask putin or orban but they're busy with a couple of takeovers (here and abroad).
Exactly!!
I had read enough tweets on Twitter prior to January 6,2021 to know there was going to be trouble at the Capitol. Why didn’t the FBI and Homeland Security prepare for what they knew might happen and after it did actually result in an assault on the peaceful transfer of power did they allow it to go on for hours? What was allowed to happen on Jan 6 was a disgraceful act of cowardice by the agencies employed to protect our country. Pure cowardice! Wray needs to be removed as does many of his agents and colleagues. They failed our country.
Cowardice is a generous assessment.
Exactly. So why did Biden not do that already?
Yep, it's the one thing that bothered me about Biden. We knew the FBI fell down on the job (sure seemed on purpose) at the whiney-kavanaugh hearings. So, why hasn't something been done.
I think Biden has to tread softly in terms of going after the Republican establishment. There’s plenty there to go after, I have no doubt. Dozens of members of the House were complicit in January 6 to one degree or another.
But if a democratic administration goes after a large swath of the Republican establishment, that is not going to sit well. It would be a very bad “look.“
I feel positive about the chances for Democrats in 2024, (keep acting like crazies you mega heads!) and think that will be the start of a cleanup (one can always hope, can’t one? 😁)
I agree. Both Biden and Garland are leaning over backward to depoliticize the Federal law enforcement and justice functions.
45 had something planned. He thought he’d use some of them to protect HIM when he marched to the Capitol with the insurrectionists. That was his plan anyway.
They knew! No doubt about it. And it wasn’t cowardice; it was a political choice
When I watched the seditionists on Jan 6 thru live coverage I kept saying to myself where is the intelligence from our LE? I still don't understand. The FBI knew but did not act to stop the seditionists by coordinating w LE on the ground. What has happened to my country.
Please, what is LE?
Law enforcement.
LE?
I had heard 45 had a large number of police that he was saving because he intended to use them to help in stopping the certification of the electoral votes on J6. I don’t remember my source exactly but that was the gist of it. Something to that effect.
"Rubin reviews the evidence and concludes that “the extent to which the FBI was aware of credible threats but did not prepare is breathtaking,” What, How, and now WHY. It's late, but we need the answer.
We know the answer. Some of those FBI were beholden to 45 and wanted to protect him. Who knows what he promised them.
Good morning Tutone. Here is where your response took me.
WHAT, HOW (in a way that), WHY... is there other evidence, more than doing nothing to prepare? What exactly were they not prepared to stop? Were they part of the coup? Who is they?
SO THAT... What did they expect to come from the coup? 1. They wanted FBI to be the secret-police employing underhanded and terrorist methods against persons suspected of disloyalty to the fragmented/chaotic/incoherent ideas of tfg? 2. They actually thought a dictator would make America a better place? 3. They hadn't thought that far?
I’m sorry, doing nothing to prepare? That is their job.
And yes, dictators are just fine…as long as they’re white and support what they support. That’s where their thinking flags
This 'support what they support' thing does not make sense to me. Most very conservative people are also very religious,, not all, but most. They are supporting a man without a religious thought or feeling in his entire sensibilities? Dictators usually choose the beliefs of their country's folks... I'm not thinking that liberal Jesus would be tfg's choice. All he wants to conserve is his wealth. We don't hire stupid people to become FBI agents. I'm stunned and stumped.
Exactly
I don’t think there was any promise involved. It’s simply their conservative mindset.
What's the level of corruption in the US government? Shall we peel the onion? How bad is it? We still don't know, but Joyce did some peeling in Unresolved Questions: The FBI and January 6
Among her questions --' Why was the FBI reaction in this investigation different than it would have been in other cases with similar evidence and whether that difference was out of concern in investigating a—any—former president, or whether it was specifically because it was Trump?'
According to Jennifer Rubin, who Joyce's quoted, 'The Government Accountability Office issued a report this week concerning the performance of multiple agencies and police units regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Among its findings: The FBI “did not consistently follow agency policies or procedures for processing tips or potential threats because they did not have controls to ensure compliance with policies.”
'In the weeks preceding the January 6 attack on the Capitol, the FBI obtained information across other sources indicating potential threats. Through human source reporting, investigations, and observed activity, the FBI identified the increasing threat of violence at high profile special events, such as the 2020 election and 2021 presidential inauguration. FBI officials we spoke with said that from December 29, 2020, through January 6, 2021, they tracked domestic terrorism subjects that were traveling to Washington, D.C., and developed reports related to January 6 events. As of January 6, 2021, FBI officials noted that the Washington Field Office was tracking 18 domestic terrorism subjects as potential travelers to the D.C. area.'
'Worse, the bureau has not undertaken the kind of systematic self-evaluation needed to correct glaring inadequacies. “The ongoing FBI review of its actions during the weeks preceding January 6, 2021, has not included an assessment of how it processed information. '
-- See Rubin's Opinion 'Christopher Wray is getting away with doing a lousy job' for which Joyce provided a link. Here's a gifted link to it: as well
https://wapo.st/3ZD6PJV
We are more than wondering after two years and two months after Jan. 6 why Trump and the other ringleaders are still running free and in our government. Could corruption have anything to do with it?
A great question at the end of Rubin's Opinion, "Why is Wray still there?"
This is so critical and we need more answers to Joyce’s and Jennifer’s questions:
[“What's the level of corruption in the US government? Shall we peel the onion? How bad is it? We still don't know, but Joyce did some peeling in Unresolved Questions: The FBI and January 6”]…………
[“According to Jennifer Rubin …………The FBI “did not consistently follow agency policies or procedures for processing tips or potential threats because they did not have controls to ensure compliance with policies.”]
Thank you Joyce V. and Jennifer R. for bringing these questions to the forefront ……and Wray definitely needs to go!!!!!
Ah, man, thanks for that link. We get subscriptions but I never remember the passwords. That's Jennifer Rubin. Hope it get's referenced on the media today.
This is pretty worrisome. The big elephant in the room is : was the Blind Eye intentional?
Maybe just me, but I say the answer to that was absolutely.
Ok could be a very naïve question, but historically doesn’t the FBI have a fairly conservative outlook on political matters? I’m thinking of the FBI involvement with many civil rights organizations in the 60s. I know that’s a long time ago, but culture is a very persistent foundation.
Yes, Tracy there is a " fairly conservative outlook" on political matters. In the 60's the LA's FBI office would monitor UCLA anti-war demonstrations from a good view on the elevated steps of a nearby Campus building adequate for a quick departure.
There is a long very long history going back to Hoover & his DC office post-WWI "Red Scare" tactics.
I have found it 'best practice'to refer to specific FBI personnel and/ or specific offices such as the NY Office's impact on Director James Comey in the last days of the 2016 H. Clinton - J. Trump presidential campaign.
Thank you Professor for the Link to the GAO Report the foundation for Jennifer 'Pro Privacy' Rubin's writing. Rubin's website: https://co/vvaXVjgxi5.
PolitiTweet publishes a "Deleted Tweet Archive" for JRubinBlogger.
OFF TOPIC & just for the record, I must post my vigorous disagreement with Rubin about the risks of the Omicron subvariants & "Long Term Covid" particulary in light of recently published medical research in Nature arising from diligent work at NIH in Bethesda, MD. Per Johns Hopkins CV19 Resource Center there have been over 103.5 MILLION "reported" CV19 infections in the United States to post nothing about "reported" deaths. CV19 infections, hospital admissions & fatalities are continuing.
I have read that the New York City FBI office hated Hillary Clinton and would have spilled the email beans if Comey had not done it himself.
Hello Joyce. A nice evening for a fireside chat about what really matters right now in the FBI thread to J6. It doesn’t feel like an either/or situation to me. I recall there was a major player in the FBI preventing information getting out about plans for the insurrection and then about allowing reinforcements to the capitol that day. Did any of those FBI agents get subpoenaed to testify? I seem to recall some did but no news about their testimony that I’m aware of. Do you think we will ever get the truth? Thanks for your timely report on what really matters 🇺🇸
Coney didn’t want to come out at the last minute about Hillary Clinton but feared blowback if he didn’t give his findings to the public.
But Comey failed to mention that trump was being investigated as well as Clinton. He threw the game to trump.
I say baloney, Comey knew exactly what he was doing, he's just another guy fearful of intelligent women.
I saved Rubin’s column this morning to share. She is always excellent, but this was, as you note, outstanding. Thank you for reinforcing the need for accountability in the FBI.
Wray needs to resign!
YES. I've been wondering why he was kept in that job for more than a year. We need someone with impeccable character who is non-partisan to lead the FBI. That is not Christopher Wray.
I read, on Angry Staffer's Twitter page, that Biden hasn't replaced Wray because of fearing it would look partisan and that he was staffing the agencies much like The Former Guy. It sems tome though that the time to replace Wray is NOW, especially in light that he appeared on FOX NEWS this week discussing the origins of COVID. If that's not partisan behavior, what is?
Biden should have replaced Wray on Jan. 20, 2021.
And why are Cabinet members not allowed to appear on Fox? Buttigieg has done it several times. The government cannot give the appearance of partiality in such a way.
Buttigieg is super smart with super syntax. Was on that road called Rhodes :)
I guess you have no idea of what Wray said. I don't have a problem at all with Democrats appearing on FOX News, especially when they're like Pete Buttigieg. But Wray was there speaking about the latest theories of COVID, acting like he had the complete low-down. He also spoke about the Biden investigation, the Trump probe, etc. I realize this isn't a legal term, but Wray speaking on FAUX News about all the FBI has going on starts my "spidey" sense tingling. And as more & more news is released about FBI members not wanting to continue the Trump investigation of missing documents or even saying Trump should be notified before they knocked, well, it seems to me that something is rotten in the FBI.
Or be replaced!
I heard that one reason was that some of the FBI agents believed what Tfg and his lawyers told them that all the documents had been returned. I really think that part of the problem was some of the agents being (for whatever reason);loyal to the former president (?) and not the rule of law.
Thank you Joyce as usual for such informative information. Was this written from your new office?
I believe Carol Leonnig wrote a book about the FBI called Safe Fail about some of their loyalties to 45.
Zero Fail by Carol Leonnig is about the “Rise and Fall of the Secret Service”.
“So this news raises questions, both about what happened with Mar-a-Lago as well as larger questions about whether the FBI fully appreciates the domestic terror threat the country faces from right-wing groups.”
For this I refer everyone to former Assistant Director of the FBI for Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi, he’s been calling for a criminal statute for Domestic Terrorism forever..
True. Unfortunately our current Congress makes it unlikely that a domestic terrorism law will be written and passed during at least the next two years.
Maybe..However, the margin in the House is so slim, that if it can get passed in the Senate, get enough support in the house, messaged loud enough to the country, perhaps it can shame enough House Rs to vote for it..
There is no doubt in my mind that the FBI Director must go and should have been fire by President Biden when he came into office. The FBI must have a director that can go in, make the assessments needed and make the changes that are needed to policy and procedures and to personnel. I agree that healthy debate among people in any organization is good, but if there was dragging feet and lying this suggest agents who were with the MAGA crowd and blatantly forgot who they work for. No reasonable person can say that an insurrectionist, seditionist, or anti-American of any stripes, or a racist or a bigot can take the type of Oath of Office many of these folks take, similar to one I took when I joined the Navy and be true to that oath. That oath means nothing to them. The FBI isn't the only department that needs a good house-cleaning and they all should be in the process already, and not waiting until President Biden's second term.
We have become a banana republic thanks to Garland being frozen. Medusa must be out there somewhere. That ship has sailed and it is too late for it to return to port. My unpopular opinion.
We became a banana republic sliding into authoritarianism a while ago. I saw some really strange "dots" (as in pressure points in our society) over the years. I didn't connect the dots, though. It's why I got involved in local politics because I knew I could make a difference there and had given up on DC.
I think the ship has sailed, as well. But I disagree it's due to Garland. He's just part of how a crumbling democratic republic gets knee capped.
This is just another of the many problems with the numerous instances of the FBI and Its current Director not doing the right thing. How many years and counting has Trump been given a free pass. It’s becoming a sad joke that Criminal Trump is in all likelihood going to be the GOP nominee.for president when he should be wearing an orange jumpsuit already. We are a banana Republic in reverse. Justice is not slow or delayed here, it is denied over and over for five decades in Trump’s case..
Joyce can you comment on DOJ and the bizarre conspiracy of Q related to General Mike Flynn -- am concerned that this is being hidden from scrutiny?
Why is Christopher Wray still the Director?