When the FBI gets too big for its britches...

"When the FBI gets too big for its britches...?"

Dude, you serious? The whole damn federal government is too big for it's britches.

But, yeah, this is especially egregious. Another nail in that behemoth's coffin.

originally posted by: incoserv
"When the FBI gets too big for its britches...?"

Dude, you serious? The whole damn federal government is too big for it's britches.

Right you are! This could be the beginning of an ATS series... "When the IRS gets too big for its britches..." or "When the FDA gets too big for its britches..." or "When the CDC gets too big for its britches..." and, of course, "When Congress Critters get too big for their britches"!!!

But it does seem especially egregious when it's the hired guns that are too big for their britches.

a reply to: Boadicea

But it does seem especially egregious when it's the hired guns that are too big for their britches.

Then NRA should challenge the FBI to a duel.

a reply to: Boadicea

It's up to the people to hold the FBI accountable. No oversight body is ever going to.

Congress wants an FBI that is fully under their control. And Congress is corrupt.

Congress wants a corrupt FBI.

Patrick Knowlton's story is a testament to how the FBI and Congress protect each other:

Patrick Knowlton Story

And, if you get an opportunity to view videos, I think you will appreciate this one on Knowlton:




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The memo released today was probably written by the FBI. Steele is the scapegoat and the FBI was a victim to his non-diclosure. A sad, pathetic victim. For reals...even Republicans, like Nunes, say so.

a reply to: Boadicea

The rules were put into place, due to a president who had too much unfettered access to the DOJ and the FBI. And in that attempt, place himself above the law, and create an obstruction of Justice.

But, ultimately if a department is too big for its britches, like so many, it falls to congress to bring it back into line and to heel. Does the Congress not control the purse? Can it not summon heads of those agencies to come and testify, both in public and in private? Can it not hold a person in contempt and thus send them to sit in a jail cell until they comply?

Congress sure has managed to give away its authority or is terrified to do such.

originally posted by: MotherMayEye
a reply to: Boadicea

It's up to the people to hold the FBI accountable. No oversight body is ever going to.

I agree. It's why we need to return to a Citizen's Grand Jury, complete with the power to investigate (and subpoena) and to lay charges. Which, of course, also brings transparency, and the burden on them to prove to us what they are doing is necessary and appropriate.

Congress wants an FBI that is fully under their control. And Congress is corrupt.

Congress wants a corrupt FBI.

Definitely. Again, why the people need the power and authority to independently hold elected and un-elected officials accountable.

Patrick Knowlton's story is a testament to how the FBI and Congress protect each other...

I remember his story... thank you for the links, I'll try to check them out.

The memo released today was probably written by the FBI. Steele is the scapegoat and the FBI was a victim to his non-diclosure. A sad, pathetic victim. For reals...even Republicans, like Nunes, say so.

You may be right, but I'm not seeing that so much as there may be some damage control happening. If the memo is true, then Steele isn't innocent. He may be the chosen fall guy, but not an innocent scapegoat. And depending on what the FBI knew and when they knew it, that doesn't change their efforts to withhold that information from Congress. And this isn't the end by a long shot. The IG report will be far more comprehensive, and far more damaging.... and not just to Democrats. I think that's the reason why the House refused to give their Senate counterparts a looksee at the memo prior to making it public. I don't believe for a minute that McCain is the only dirty Republican. A true draining of the swamp will necessarily include Republicans.

I'm still not sure about who and/or what's going to fill the vacuum left behind, or about Trump, but I'm getting the feeling the release of evidence to the public has been strategically planned with a specific purpose as part of a much greater plan... for better or worse.

originally posted by: sdcigarpig
a reply to: Boadicea

Congress sure has managed to give away its authority or is terrified to do such.

Any/all branches of government can be compromised and corrupted.

Hence, again, the need for the people to AGAIN have the power to investigate government agencies and officials, AND the authority to criminally charge wrongdoers and hold them accountable.

a reply to: Boadicea

I agree.

I dont want to hear about what a travesty it would be to disband the FBI. Please.

We will be just fine without them. The FBI fed off and used the country that birthed it. The US doesnt NEED the FBI.

We need a new transparent, ethical and regulated federal investigative agency. They should not be enforcers. They should be investigators. What they find should be given to law enforcement.

They should be like a bureau of weights and measures.

originally posted by: tadaman
a reply to: Boadicea

I agree.

I dont want to hear about what a travesty it would be to disband the FBI. Please.

We will be just fine without them. The FBI fed off and used the country that birthed it. The US doesnt NEED the FBI.

I couldn't agree more! I don't necessarily need to see the FBI disbanded, but at the very least we need major reform. But the fear mongering from and about the FBI is ridiculous. We didn't taint and compromise the agency, they did. And unless and until the corruption is rooted out, it will only get worse.

There is no virtue in retaining the hired guns if they aren't working for the best interests of the people....

We need a new transparent, ethical and regulated federal investigative agency. They should not be enforcers. They should be investigators. What they find should be given to law enforcement.

That may be a big part of the solution. We already have federal marshals for enforcement. Two such separate agencies could and should complement each other.

a reply to: Boadicea

Oh, I don't think Steele is an innocent scapegoat...he's a willing one.

That's always been his role.

***

The damage will be minimal, by design. "The memo was edited..." "The memo is unsupported by corroborating evidence..." "Trump was wrong to ok the release of the edited version...." "The Democrat's memo refutes...."

I don't see any damage coming from this....it was tightly controlled so as to not create any real damage.

Just my .02¢.

***

All I can do is protect myself and my loved ones by educating them on how the FBI gets away with operating arbitrarily and what they can do to prevent themselves from being abused by the FBI. No offense to anyone, but I think counting on oversight within the federal government is a lost cause and waste of time.

a reply to: MotherMayEye

I don't see any damage coming from this....it was tightly controlled so as to not create any real damage.

If this is all they've got in the end, then yeah, I'll have to agree with you. But this isn't the end, and as long as there are good folks trying to bring rogue govt to account, I have to support their efforts. Even if they go nowhere in the end.

And as much as I value and appreciate your insight and input, I really really hope you're wrong this time -- but only for the best reasons...

a reply to: Boadicea

The problem here lies with we the people for that is where it started. We elect people who are suppose to represent our interest, and they go there, however, both parties fail in that aspect time and time again. People don't vote, and then the same person gets into the same position to where they think that they have a job for life. Perhaps if we stopped blaming other congressmen, and started focusing and replacing congressmen on a regular basis, this would not be an issue.

a reply to: sdcigarpig

While like so many government agencies there does tend to be corruption, however, here is where the lines are getting muddied and the problems come to light.

Are you actually going for the the best understatement of the year so far? Are you not aware that this is an on-going issue with the the alphabet agencies. (See Bundy's dismissal)

The FBI is caught in this political drama due to the congress, added onto now by a president intent on having unfettered access to that department and conflicting with rules that are there to protect all around.

Here, let me see if I can correct this statement so you understand reality. The FBI is caught in this political drama because they illegally withheld evidence from the FISA court judge in an attempt to throw a US election to their political benefactor. (Again, this isn't new....see the same behavior in the Bundy trials.)

Once you understand the basis of reality---that rogue FBI department heads and peons were acting in an illegal manner to obtain a warrant to spy on the opposition, the rest of your post sounds like ..well, it just sounds like a very partisan person is asking that we not believe partisans when they speak or write.

And guess what? These two cases (Bundy & Trump) aren't the only ones needing looking over by Congressional committees. The revelations about those two are just going to open the door to how extremely extensive and routine this illegal behavior has become over the past three decades. Prison cells doors will open if further investigations are held. Then, prison cells should be closing behind every last one of them who violated their oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. If that includes members of both parties, so be it. I happen to believe it does include both parties and THAT my friend, is why these investigations will be squashed flatter than yesterday's road kill.

originally posted by: sdcigarpig
a reply to: Boadicea

The problem here lies with we the people for that is where it started. We elect people who are suppose to represent our interest, and they go there, however, both parties fail in that aspect time and time again.

Yes, here is the problem -- but the people are not the problem! We are the solution!!!

The problem is that the power has been taken away from the people, which forces us to choose between this rat bastard and another rat bastard, and when they fail us, we have no legal recourse!

People don't vote, and then the same person gets into the same position to where they think that they have a job for life. Perhaps if we stopped blaming other congressmen, and started focusing and replacing congressmen on a regular basis, this would not be an issue.

And repeat ad nauseum infinitum... we know congress critters are part of the problem so why continue letting them be a problem? The congress critters wouldn't be such a problem if we the people had proper power and authority as well, and could keep all government critters in check.

The solution is give power back to the people... not to reshuffle the power among the corrupt.

a reply to: Boadicea

So 45% of the population who can vote, not voting, you don't think that is part of the problem?

I don't know, I think that if we did not keep re-electing the same person term, after term, after term, is also part of the problem and the solution, not to vote the same person back in. Thus we the people would take back the power.

So there you have it, people who are eligible to vote, need to get out and actually vote, and stop re-electing the same person into office for multiple terms.

a reply to: diggindirt

Let me see if I can say this so you can understand: Show the proof and documents that support the that the FBI illegally withheld evidence from a FISA court in an attempt to throw a US election to their political benefactor.

Is Jeff Sessions the Head of the DOJ and the FBI? Is he not the man nominated and confirmed to be in charge of that department? Is Jeff Sessions not a Republican? So if that is true, then why did they not summon him into a committee meeting, and ask him questions, getting the ball started on him working to clean up this mess, even bringing this to where it can be brought into the oversight of the congress, to see that Justice is done.

Did that happen no. In stead you have Nunes, who was caught earlier working with the White House, lying about the reason, directed the writing of a memo that lays out this allegations. That is all there is allegations, no proof of any wrong doing. If you are so dead set to convict on the bases of a memo, without seeing any real hard core memo, then by all rights, Trump, and members of his cabinet are traitors and should be shot, after all there is a memo that says they are guilty.

Or would you prefer to see justice done, where the allegations are made, an investigation is done, and evidence is presented, where this gets into the light, and everyone can see for their own eyes, read the documents and actually see who is right and who is wrong.

Does being in the government mean that a person loses their rights, to speech, thought and even the very concept of Innocent until proven guilty? You support the President and believe he is innocent, why is it so hard to believe that the FBI and DOJ is also innocent without any shred of evidence presented, beyond a politically motivated Memo written under the direction of Nunes, who has tampered with evidence last year when Trump got into office, and lied about it?

a reply to: sdcigarpig


When people have better choices they'll make better choices. When more people trust that their vote matters, more people will vote. When good people have more power over bad people, they will exercise that power.

We can educate people. We can't uncorrupt the corrupt -- or un-do the damage they do.

I truly don't understand why you want to keep the power in the hands of the very people you cannot trust.... or why you would not want to give more power to the people to hold them accountable.

I guess the real question is who is policing the Police.

Where is the over site when a warrant is requested? If a police agency requests a warrant and either omits information or otherwise is less then fully truthful in obtaining a warrant what happens not only to the person(s) that this warrant is issued against but also what happens to the police involved in obtaining the warrant?

This of course flies in the face of all those law enforcement people who play by the rules but it seems to me there has to be independent over site of these types of issues as well as punishment when a warrant is obtained under shady circumstances

a reply to: Boadicea

I do want to give the people more power to hold elected officials accountable. However, I also want them to VOTE. And to limit the term that the elected person remains in office.

What is so hard to understand about that?

I never believe any politician when they speak, they never tell the whole truth. If they did, the other guy would be elected in a landslide. And all politicians lie and will say anything to sway the public to their side. And knowing that is the first thing that all people show know and understand. And once they do, it makes it far easier to decide and put a person into office for one term and then replace them.

a reply to: sdcigarpig
You do have all the talking points right there before you don't you? (Well done with the regurgitation. At least you don't simply cut and paste like most of your Democrats bots here.:up

I'm perfectly willing to see the proof come forth in the trials. Just like the judge in the Bundy case---the proof presented to her was enough to give the federal prosecutors a tongue-lashing of the highest order. That investigation is under way right now. That one extends from Nevada to Oregon to Arizona at least---some say even into California. Lots of shifting and shaking going on there..these latest revelations must seem like piling on....to see their work laid bare yet again.

Are there other cases? You betcha. These tentacles need to be traced down and pruned. Anyone with the slightest ability to think critically sees this by now. We saw Ruby Ridge. We saw the media's complicity there. We saw Waco. Same deal. Glossed over and paid settlements. Small fry thrown under the bus and the msm followed their orders to move along. Same with the Bundys and many others.

I'm not partisan. I'm a recovering Democrat. I want to see every corrupt politician or bureaucrat in every area of government exposed and tried for their crimes. I don't give a fly at a fox what PARTY they claim.

Look, rank and file Democrats are tired of this. So are a whole bunch of honest local and state leaders. They've seen the Clinton cabal chase good people out of the party because they were uncontrollable due to no blackmailable behavior. I watched it happen right here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and it made me sick to my stomach to witness it. There is no length to which they won't go to keep their corruption hidden and the illegal funds rolling in. This is why local leaders and rank and file are leaving the party and why the donations from honest people have dried up. The only way they can hope to keep the party going for another year is to collect millions of illegal dollars from their wealthy Hollywood and media connections who have as much to lose as the politicians should the whole truth be revealed.