Former Deputy Director and former Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe recently appeared on CNN to discuss a possible second Donald Trump presidency and what it would mean for the FBI.
McCabe told CNN that agents are terrified, with many considering not only leaving the agency but also the country if Trump is elected.
Talking Points…
- FBI abuse of power
- McCabe says agents worried
- Analysis
Most conservatives had a feeling that the FBI probably pushed the boundaries when it was investigating Donald Trump during the Russian collusion investigation, but I would imagine that the John Durham report shocked even most of us. The abuse of power by the FBI and the blatant abuse of FISA laws was shocking.
When the report first hit, some outlets did not cover the report honestly, looking to cover for Dems. For instance, the New York Times published a piece headlined, “After years of political hype, the Durham inquiry failed to deliver.” The headline was so misleading, even the Washington Post had to call them out, saying, “Please. Durham’s report outlines stunning abuses of power.”
The Russian collusion investigation was a massive and complex investigation that should have been dropped almost immediately, with FBI agents acknowledging that “both then and in hindsight — that they did not genuinely believe there was probable cause to believe that the target [former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page] was knowingly engaged in clandestine intelligence activities on behalf of a foreign power.”
Exculpatory information was kept out of the record, information was used from Trump’s political opponents to obtain search warrants, and at times, falsified information was used to back up the warrant requests. The most notable of these is the Steele Dossier, which was used for multiple FISA warrants. This was literally election interference, but it was being perpetrated by Democrats, so that is now apparently legal in this country.
One of the powers that be during this atrocity was Andrew McCabe. He served as James Comey’s Deputy Director, then as Acting Director of the FBI after Comey was forced to resign. McCabe continues to act as though the FBI acted on the up and up throughout the investigation, which is 100% untrue.
Rules were broken, and there was clearly a rogue element running and overseeing this investigation, but none of them were ever held accountable. One low-level staffer ended up taking a plea deal to fall on his sword, but that was the end of the damage. A completely corrupt investigation, and no heads ever rolled.
When McCabe sat down with CNN, he said he is now being called by agents who are terrified that if Trump wins the presidency, he will look to root out these people and possibly even arrest them. McCabe stated:
"I mean, people are actually worried about being thrown in jail or grabbed in some sort of extrajudicial detention.”
I still believe in the FBI, but I also believe the FBI needs to clean house. I have numerous friends who work or have worked for the agency, one higher-ranking agent who just retired, and they were all fuming over the Durham report, but not for the reason one would think. They were not upset at Durham but rather at FBI leadership that allowed this investigation to roll on, breaking rules, giving their agency a black eye, and losing the American people's trust.
The FBI can be fixed, which may take exactly what McCabe fears most… rooting out rogue agents and holding them accountable. Honestly, I still believe that both McCabe and Comey should have been arrested and charged for their roles in the abuse of the FISA warrants. I also think Peter Strzok needs to be held accountable. The entire agency is not corrupt, but some elements need to be removed, so I would say that McCabe’s fear is for very good reason… because he knows they broke laws and abused power, only he thinks the FBI had a license to do whatever it wanted.
I have to say, seeing FBI leadership led out of the Hoover building in cuffs would not be the worst idea if it means cleaning up the agency and getting it back on track to being one of the most respected law enforcement agencies in the world.
