Just yesterday, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on a host of topics and the answers were quite revealing
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
questioned Wray about the case against four individuals who allegedly attempted
to kidnap and murder Democrat Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Cruz noted that among
the four accused who were tried, two were acquitted and two
received mistrials i.e. none was convicted of any charge,
Cruz pointed out that
the “basis of the defense was entrapment, that the FBI, that paid informants
for the FBI had suggested and had incited the conduct.”
Wray refused to
comment if any FBI agent had received discipline or was reprimanded
after “the misconduct that led to every defendant being acquitted or having a
mistrial on every charge.”
Wray however
confirmed that the special agent in charge of that case, Steven D’Antuono,
is now the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office.
Cruz reminded Wray
that D’Antuono leads the January 6 related investigations.
https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1555227992632213505
Cruz also confronted
Wray about a leak of alleged FBI training material by non-profit journalism
group Project Veritas which allegedly listed Betsy Ross, Gadsden, and
Gonzales Battle flags as themes “indicative of militia violent extremism.”
Wray claimed that FBI
intelligence products containing symbols have caveats and warnings to “make
clear that a symbol alone is not considered evidence of violent extremism.”
Cruz reminded Wray
that the document didn’t include symbols connected to Antifa and Black Lives
Matter.
https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1555215465307308037
Cruz also referred to
the National School Board Association requesting U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland to
investigate parents who aggressively opposed mask mandates and critical race
theory as domestic terrorists under the Patriot Act.
Cruz referred to the
AG dispatching a memo directing the FBI to target parents and asked Wray how
many parents were questioned or investigated by the FBI interviewed or
investigated.
Wray attempted to
filibuster with generalities but Cruz pressed Wray.
Wray then conceded
there were “small assessments and investigations” of people making threats.
Cruz said the House
sent Wray oversight letters detailing dozens of investigations directed at
parents attending school board meetings
https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1555231025734815748
When
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley questioned Wray about why the FBI is demanding the
personal information of concealed carry permit owners despite state laws
prohibiting local law enforcement from turning that over Wray had no satisfactory
answer
When
Hawley’s questioned Wray about the Department of Defense whistleblower report that 324
of the individuals the Biden administration evacuated from Afghanistan and
welcomed into the U.S. have appeared on the terror watch list, Wray acknowledged
that the FBI is 'actively' investigating the matter.
https://twitter.com/mrctv/status/1555231634680586240
When Sen. John Cornyn
(R-TX) asked Wray about the link between violence related to the crime rings
operating in the US and the compromised U.S.-Mexico border, Wray prattled on.
https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1555241151929765893
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) inquired
about the actions the FBI had taken against pro-abortion activists’ violent
attacks against churches, pro-life organizations, and pregnancy centers
following the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision
Wray said they have
opened a number of investigations related to the attacks.
https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1555211255534821378
When Sen. Marsha
Blackburn (R-Tenn.) asked if Wray agreed allegation of collusion between
President Trump and Russia was a hoax and if Hunter Biden's laptop was not
Russian disinformation.
Wray did not answer both questions directly.
https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1555235020004102145
Senator Chuck Grassley
(R-WI) reminded Wray that “the FBI greenlit a full investigation into Trump
based on liberal news articles and information derived from liberal nonprofits”
but “closed investigative activity and sources that provided verified or
verifiable reporting on Hunter Biden. Wray provided no concrete response.
https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1555197811830001664
Senator Grassley also
expressed his frustrations with the FBI’s lack of transparency
https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1555195480891695107
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) questioned Wray about the overall bias in the agency and the political bias of certain FBI agents who covered up damaging information about Hunter Biden prior to the 2020 elections.
Wray conceded to finding the allegations “troubling” but added he wanted to be “careful” to not interfere with any ongoing personnel matters.
https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1555241143012655106
It is obvious to even the most casual of observers that are two tiers of justice within the US.
One for people that
are favored class – ideologically liberal, powerful, connected, and members of the
Washington Establishment.
Michael Sussmann, a
former lawyer at a firm that represented Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential
campaign, was found not guilty of lying to the FBI over spreading false
information on Donald Trump and his links to a Russian bank.
BLM rioters or
pro-abortion rioters may be arrested but are let out on bail. No further action
is ever taken. In fact, they are venerated and celebrated.
The second tier is
for regular Americans – conservatives, libertarians, Republicans, Trump
supporters, and those living in middle America.
Pro-Trump personnel
such as General Flynn, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and even Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen were
treated like national security threats by law enforcement agencies. There were mid-night raids on their
personal properties and offices in some cases the media was alerted.
The January 6th Protestors are
reportedly being subjected
to prolonged periods of solitary confinement, verbal abuse (e.g.,
called 'white supremacists), harassment, beatings from guards, denial of basic
medical care, religious services, communion, nutritious diet, and access to
attorneys.”
This is a national
crisis.
The Federal Bureau of
Investigation is the foremost federal law enforcement agency in the US. It is also
the primary domestic intelligence and security service.
The least you can
expect from the head of the FBI at this critical juncture is forthrightness and
honesty.
Nobody expects the
FBI to divulge minute details about ongoing investigations but surely facts can
be presented in a manner that no probes are compromised.
The FBI is an
organization that is funded by the public and hence works for the public. It is
incumbent upon the FBI to be transparent and conceded their mistakes.
Alas Wray resorted to
dodging questions, feigning ignorance, filibustering with irrelevant or
commonly known information, and finally obfuscation.
Cynics may regard
such hearings as futile. They may have a point. The questioners use the
occasion to engage in theatrics, the clips are circulated on social media and
function as campaign material but no changes occur on the ground. The futility
is worsened when the likes of Wray refuse to answer questions.
Still, these hearing
are important because it provides some semblance of accountability and it
allows the public a glimpse of the occurrences. In this particular case, the
public learns how nonchalant Wray is despite numerous serious problems plaguing
the FBI.
In a democracy, it is
essential that law enforcement agencies are objective and apolitical. The law
must be enforced based on the nature of the act and emphatically not the affluence,
connections, and ideology of the actor.
Legal egalitarianism
is a fundamental tenet of any functioning democracy.
When
that essential principle begins to falter and the law is selective
applied, democracy ceases to prevail.
Wray’s display is
proof of those ominous signs that the US is drifting away from the Democratic
values on which it was founded.
Also appear on American Thinker
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