Pollak: Time to Scrap the FBI and Start Over
14 Jan 2019
2:35
The mainstream media is running feverish headlines about President Donald Trump’s supposed links — or lack thereof — with Russia, after the New York Times reported last Friday that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had opened an investigation into whether Trump was, in fact, working for the Russians.
The Times report indicated that the FBI had opened its investigation into Trump after he fired then-FBI director James Comey in May 2017.
Democrats seized on that report as if it added weight to the ongoing conspiracy theory of “collusion” between the Russian government and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
Over the weekend, the Washington Post added fuel to the media fire by reporting that Trump “concealed” parts of his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin from other administration officials — which should not have been a surprise, given that the Postitself published leaked transcripts of Trump’s conversations early in his administration with the leaders of Mexico and Australia.
But it is the report about the FBI that remains at the top of the headlines, with several mainstream media outlets reporting Trump’s denials of both reports as if they were somehow evasive, deficient, or suspiciously vociferous.
What is particularly concerning is not the substance of the accusation about Trump — for which no evidence exists — but rather the fact that the FBI would react to the constitutional exercise of presidential duties by investigating the president, mere months after spying on Trump campaign associates, and excusing Hillary Clinton’s misdeeds.
Comey has defended his exoneration of Clinton by claiming he was trying to prevent the politicization of the FBI. But he achieved the opposite, especially with his recent politicking.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said Monday the FBI’s leadership needed a “vacuum cleaner.” At this stage, that may be too little, too late. The FBI, as such, may never recover the public trust.
The best solution may be to scrap the FBI and start fresh with a reorganized agency under a new name and with an improved commitment to neutrality and accountability.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
CrimeNational SecurityPoliticsFBIreorganizationRussiarussia collusionrussia conspiracy theory
MY TAKE: About five years into my law enforcement career, shortly after I was first appointed a public prosecutor’s investigator, I began to develop a distrust of the FBI. That distrust has devolved over the years to disdain. Only later did I consider abolishing the agency altogether.
“Recognized for ability to reorganize and streamline departmental operations and to develop and implement department-wide policies and procedures,” borrowing a line from my curriculum vitae, pertaining to my 19 years as a supervisor of investigators, and as a now-fully-retired individual, I began to ponder such things as how to reorganize the FBI to preserve its legitimate functions while at the same time, exterminating its now-arrogant politically weaponized cult.
I came upon an idea that I think is simple and feasible: First, remove the counter-intelligence function of the agency and send it to the counter-intelligence agency within the Department of Homeland Security. Then, transfer the U. S. Marshals Service from the Department of Justice to the Department of Homeland Security, and therein install the FBI’s law enforcement functions. Next, gradually remove all law enforcement agencies, sub-agencies, units, or whatever from all federal Cabinet-level departments, and place them, otherwise untouched, in Homeland Security. Many, including the Coast Guard, the largest federal law enforcement agency, are already there.
A thorough and careful review, such as the vetting process currently in place for Deputy US Marshals, of all former FBI personnel must then be conducted if they are to be retained in any federal government position. An inspector-general within DHS must retain a tight and consistent oversight of all law enforcement agencies so that no cliques are formed such as those now threatening the very existence of the Republic.
In order for any law enforcement agency to function in American society, it must command the trust and respect of We the People. The FBI has forever lost that trust and respect.
