Several folks have recently called James Comey a “dirty cop.” I am not one of those people.
James Comey was not a dirty cop because he never was a cop. This ex-FBI director (he was fired, hence “ex” instead of “former”) was an attorney and career political appointee. He may have carried a badge because he was the FBI director, another political appointment, but it was a honorary badge that he dishonored.
Comey used his title and his power to subvert the political process by waving off any criminal charges against the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton. He also approved the submission of spurious documents about the Republican nominee to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge on three separate occasions.
Ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, an ex-FBI agent, is a dirty cop, in my opinion.
His spouse, Jill McCabe, ran for a state Senate seat in Virginia and received $467,000 in campaign contributions from then-Governor Terry McAuliffe’s political action committee. She also received $207,000 from another PAC. McAuliffe is a lifelong friend of the Clintons.
After his spouse lost the election, Andrew McCabe was put in charge of the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of classified material and use of an illegal server. No conflict of interest here, folks; his wife had already lost her election. However, in Virginia, one may keep their campaign contributions as long as they do not close their campaign account. These funds can be used to pay family members who work (wink, wink) on one’s campaign.
Andrew McCabe also approved one of the affidavits containing spurious information that was submitted to the FISC.
If you aren’t angry yet, it is because you haven’t read (and reread) the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Abuses at the Department of Justice and the FBI memorandum, dated Jan. 18.
This 1,400-word word memorandum is a summary of thousands of documents, some classified, detailing how the “leaders” of the FBI, and their counterparts at the DOJ, conspired to submit fake evidence to the FISC.
The fake evidence is a “dossier” submitted by a former British agent, Christopher Steele, based on unsubstantiated and ridiculous claims about Donald Trump by agents of an enemy state, Russia. Steele is on record as saying he “was desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being president.” The Democratic National Committee and the Clintons, through an intermediary, paid Steele $160,000 to “compile” the dossier.
This dossier is the muddy foundation upon which affidavits were submitted to a FISC judge to spy on a Trump campaign volunteer.
The key word here is “foreign.” The FISA and FISC were created after 9/11 to combat terrorism by identifying and deterring foreign operatives seeking to inflict harm upon our country. It was not created to spy on Americans. The previous administration weaponized these powers not just to frame an innocent man, but to undo a lawful presidential election. In other words, a coup d’état.
Contrary to what the media espouses, the FBI is not a separate but equal branch of government. The FBI is subordinate to the DOJ, and the DOJ reports to the executive branch, the president. In other words, the FBI and DOJ serve the people, not the reverse.
The good news is that thousands of FBI special agents, analysts and support personnel work diligently and honestly to serve the American people, as do their counterparts at the DOJ.
Identifying and calling out the corrupt leadership is not the same as condemning the hard-working honest personnel within the FBI and DOJ.
Imagine the consequences if then-President George W. Bush used his DOJ to frame Barack Obama? The media would be outraged, as would their accomplices in Congress.
I am an equal opportunity critic. I would love to see the minority-party memo concerning their interpretation of their investigation. If there was anything damaging to the president, it would have been released already.
Is there more to come? I am sure of it. Personally, I would love to read the probable cause affidavit used to obtain the FISC warrant, especially the identity of the affiant who swore to a judge, under oath, that the information within the affidavit was truthful.
Tighten your seat belts and hold on. This memorandum is merely the prologue to an epic story.
Dan Jennings is a 38-year law enforcement veteran. He can be reached at bcpd267@cox.net