Time to terminate FBI-ADL alliance
The Dangerous Collaboration Between the Anti-Defamation League and the FBI
Most Americans recognize the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as a far-Left, dark-money behemoth with assets of nearly a quarter-billion dollars. The once-respected Federal Bureau of Investigation is now viewed as being similarly politicized. Overall support for the agency has nosedived to only 37% among the general public and a meager 17% among Republicans.
Yet few Americans realize how closely the ADL works with the FBI to advance their leadership’s political interests. This is a dangerous collaboration wherein the increasingly radical group provides ideologically driven guidance to people with the guns. Right now, the FBI is pointing those guns at the political enemies of the far-Left.
The ADL’s Political Agenda
The ADL’s work covers the usual Left-wing cause célèbres: fighting voting integrity measures, pushing for open borders policies and amnesty for illegal aliens, and vigorously defending the Black Lives Matter riots, to name a few. The group has now politically weaponized its charges of anti-Semitism, falsely smearing conservatives while excusing blatant anti-Semitism among its political allies. For example, the organization has groundlessly denounced Elon Musk, a powerful Libertarian voice, as an anti-Semite in a bald-faced effort to drain his social network, X, of advertising revenue. Yet, when now-Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) came to the defense of his uncle for anti-Semitic remarks he made in the 90s, the organization refused to condemn him.
Jonathan Tobin of Jewish News Syndicate traces ADL’s hard Left turn to its change in leadership from longtime leader Abe Foxman to Jonathan Greenblatt, a former staffer in the Clinton and Obama White House. Tobin writes, “Greenblatt has helped shift the ADL from its former stance as the nonpartisan gold standard for monitoring hate to being just another liberal activist group whose priority is helping the Democratic Party.”
Last month, The Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, released an investigative report detailing an “Extremist Sitrep” email from the “ADL Law Enforcement” account to The Washington State Fusion Center, a collective of various law enforcement entities spanning from local to the FBI. The email advises law enforcement officers responsible for investigating domestic terrorists to focus their resources on the likes of Matt Walsh, Chris Rufo, and Libs of TikTok.
Much like the FBI’s infamous anti-Catholic targeting memo, the ADL email suggests that law enforcement agencies — people with guns and the power to imprison and financially destroy enemies of the state — should concentrate their efforts on non-violent citizens whose only “crime” is to have exercised their First Amendment freedoms in support of political viewpoints contrary to the authoritarian Left. The goal here is clearly to punish the “thought criminals” and force adherence to the dogmas of the state.
The ADL’s Influence on the FBI
The problem here is that, according to former FBI agents, they are conditioned from the very beginning of their careers to be receptive to ADL propaganda. One of the first experiences of a new agent is an ADL-sponsored trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. The ostensible purpose of the trip is to impress on new agents that they bear a tremendous responsibility that should never be abused.
That lesson should be salubrious. But former agents tell me the trip’s real purpose is to prepare agents to be receptive to the onslaught of propaganda and rewards that the ADL will be sending their way throughout the coming years. At the very beginning of an agent’s career, the FBI is sending the clear message that the ADL is a trusted partner.
The ADL and FBI partnership only grows from there. According to the ADL’s website, “We educate annually an estimated 15,000 law enforcement personnel from local, state and federal agencies.” Moreover, “in 2021 alone, the ADL Center on Extremism (COE) provided law enforcement with critical intelligence about extremism over 1,300 times and tracked over 7,300 incidents of hate on our online, interactive H.E.A.T. map.” The ADL even operates a school for executive-level law enforcement officials:
In 2003, ADL founded the Advanced Training School, which has provided education on extremism and terrorism for senior law enforcement from more than 250 agencies across the U.S. This three-day course provides an examination of major types of extremist movements, case studies of recent terrorist acts presented by law enforcement leaders with firsthand experience, and guidance on the critical importance of protecting civil rights and liberties.
The very agency the Feds trust to educate them on matters of “extremism” is producing politically driven, far-Left reports on who counts as an extremist. Much like the Southern Poverty Law Center, the ADL writes and applies the definition they wish government to enforce. They take care to ensure that it predominately captures those opposed to their ideology, while excusing their political allies. Were these organizations to apply a neutral definition of hate or extremism, it would undercut the leftist narrative that MAGA extremists and their ilk are the most clear-and-present danger to the United States.
The ADL’s Influence on FBI Personnel
Beyond orientation, training, and propaganda, the ADL provides FBI personnel with awards. Since 2010, the ADL has been handing out “ADL SHIELD Awards” to FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors for investigative and prosecutorial successes. It’s a brilliantly subversive tactic. The awards cost the ADL next to nothing; in exchange organization receives a false veneer of legitimacy and builds a list of FBI executives and agents beholden to the ADL.
Conditioning FBI personnel to be receptive to ADL political propaganda and then doling out rewards to FBI leaders is beyond unseemly. With this incentive structure in place, is there any reason to doubt that the FBI would be more inclined to take in and act on slanted ADL material?
Small wonder that public confidence in the Bureau is at record lows. One obvious remedial measure would be to end the partnership between the ADL and the FBI. It’s time to draw a bright line between dark, far-Left operations and the most powerful law enforcement entity in the country and make sure it is not crossed.
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Mike Howell is Director of the Oversight Project at The Heritage Foundation.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
How does the close collaboration between the ADL and the FBI raise questions about the impartiality and objectivity of the FBI in its investigations and operations?
Dangerous Partnership
This close collaboration between the ADL and the FBI is concerning for several reasons. First and foremost, it raises questions about the impartiality and objectivity of the FBI in its investigations and operations. If the agency is heavily influenced by a politically motivated organization like the ADL, can it truly be trusted to act in the best interests of all Americans?
Furthermore, this partnership allows the ADL to extend its reach and influence, using the resources and authority of the FBI to target individuals and groups that they deem to be their political enemies. By providing intelligence and guidance to law enforcement officers, the ADL is effectively weaponizing the FBI against those who hold differing political views.
The ADL’s History of Bias
It is important to note that the ADL has a history of bias and selective outrage when it comes to allegations of hate and anti-Semitism. While they are quick to accuse conservatives and libertarians of anti-Semitism without evidence, they conveniently turn a blind eye to anti-Semitic remarks made by their political allies. This double standard undermines their credibility and calls into question their true motives.
The ADL’s shift to the left under the leadership of Jonathan Greenblatt is indicative of the organization’s transformation into a partisan activist group. Instead of focusing on their original mandate of monitoring hate and promoting tolerance, the ADL now prioritizes advancing the agenda of the Democratic Party. This political bias is not only detrimental to their reputation but also compromises the integrity and fairness of their work.
Consequences for Free Expression
Ultimately, the dangerous collaboration between the ADL and the FBI has serious implications for freedom of expression in the United States. By encouraging law enforcement to target non-violent citizens based on their political beliefs, the ADL is effectively stifling dissent and punishing those who dare to deviate from the ideology of the far-left.
The FBI, as an institution entrusted with upholding the Constitution and protecting the rights of all Americans, should remain neutral and independent from political influences. However, its partnership with the ADL raises concerns about its ability to do so. It is essential that the FBI maintain its impartiality and resist the pressure to become a tool for political agendas.
Americans should be wary of this dangerous collaboration between the ADL and the FBI. It threatens the principles that our nation was founded upon and compromises the integrity of our law enforcement agencies. In order to preserve freedom of expression and ensure the fair and equal treatment of all citizens, it is imperative that the FBI reassess its partnership with the ADL and return to its role as an unbiased protector of the rule of law.
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