{"id":1597112,"date":"2022-08-09T14:31:11","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T18:31:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1597112"},"modified":"2022-08-09T14:31:53","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T18:31:53","slug":"we-have-no-reason-to-trust-the-fbi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-have-no-reason-to-trust-the-fbi\/","title":{"rendered":"We Have No Reason To Trust The FBI"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwe-have-no-reason-to-trust-the-fbi%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1597112&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The day before Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election of 2016, The New York Times\u2019 Paul Krugman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/11\/07\/opinion\/how-to-rig-an-election.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claimed<\/a> that the FBI\u2014along with \u201cRussian intelligence\u201d\u2014had \u201crigged the election.\u201d Election denialism is perfectly acceptable behavior on the left. Krugman blamed the \u201crigged election\u201d on \u201cpeople within the F.B.I.\u201d who, he asserted, \u201cclearly felt that under Mr. Comey they had a free hand to indulge their political preferences,\u201d by which he meant the investigation in Clinton\u2019s email server. One can imagine the tenor of Krugman\u2019s rhetoric if the investigation had been launched by the administration of Mitt Romney or George W. Bush or signed off on by AG Robert Bork.<\/p>\n<p>Is it still the case that investigating a candidate for wrongdoing is \u201crigging\u201d an election? Yesterday, Merrick Garland\u2019s DOJ raided the home of a former president, and likely future presidential candidate, in a case regarding \u201cpotential mishandling of classified documents,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2022\/08\/08\/trump-mar-a-lago-search-fbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to The Washington Post. If that\u2019s it, this is a <em>nearly<\/em> unprecedented moment in the politicization of law enforcement.  We have long been told that \u201cmishandling of classified documents\u201d isn\u2019t a serious crime.  <\/p>\n<p>When Clinton set up a secret private server to circumvent transparency, likely to hide favor-trading related to her now-obsolete corrupt foundation, it was a potential felony. In that illegal server, the FBI would find 100 emails containing classified information, 65 marked \u201cSecret,\u201d 22 marked \u201cTop Secret,\u201d and over 2,000 emails that would be retroactively marked classified. <em>Many<\/em> felonies. Unlike Trump, who had the power to declassify any document he wished, Hillary could not. And as numerous experts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/07\/07\/us\/hillary-clintons-email-was-probably-hacked-experts-say.html?_r=0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pointed out<\/a>, the chances that those documents were intercepted by foreign powers were quite high. No one\u2019s home was raided by the FBI.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Hillary\u2019s staff then attempted to destroy all evidence related to that secret illegal server with a wipe of the server and literal used <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/videos\/politics\/2016\/09\/05\/hillary-clinton-email-device-destuction-nr-sot.cnn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>hammers<\/em><\/a> to break phones and laptops\u2014as Comey <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fbi.gov\/news\/press-releases\/press-releases\/statement-by-fbi-director-james-b-comey-on-the-investigation-of-secretary-hillary-clinton2019s-use-of-a-personal-e-mail-system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> at the time, they \u201ccleaned their devices in such a way as to preclude complete forensic recovery.\u201d Another bunch of potential felonies. Not only were there no FBI raids, but Comey showered Clinton\u2019s staff <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/james-comeys-clinton-immunity-1475017121?mod=trending_now_\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">with<\/a> immunity. <\/p>\n<p>Comey would make the exceptionally unconvincing case that though everything that Hillary had done was illegal, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/video\/2016\/07\/obama-says-clinton-is-the-most-qualified-presidential-candidate-ever-059832\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">most qualified<\/a> person to ever run for the presidency had acted \u201cextremely careless.\u201d\u00a0More likely, Comey didn\u2019t want to charge a presidential candidate with a bunch of felonies in the run-up to an election. It\u2019s true that the mishandling of documents is not often treated seriously. Well, until now. When former Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-dyn\/content\/article\/2006\/12\/20\/AR2006122001968.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stole<\/a> highly classified documents from the National Archives\u2014memos regarding the Clinton administration\u2019s failed anti-terrorism efforts\u2014he was given community service. No one raided his home to look for more documents.<\/p>\n<p>While that double standard may not induce you to distrust the FBI, what happened next should. Hillary would kick off the entire bogus Trump-Russia investigation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2022-05-20\/clinton-approved-trump-russia-leak-her-campaign-manager-says\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signing off<\/a> on the leak of a fictitious oppo-research document, which was bolstered, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/video\/christopher-steele-says-chance-russia-203900080.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">most likely<\/a>, by Russian disinformation. Yet, <a href=\"http:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/TRANSCRIPTS\/1912\/11\/ath.01.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to<\/a> the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz, initial FISA applications used by the FBI to spy on Trump\u2019s orbit \u201crelied\u00a0<em>entirely<\/em>\u201d\u00a0on information from Christopher Steele. Not only were the applications riddled with 17 \u201csignificant errors,\u201d and not only would the FBI withhold contradictory evidence in the case, but a lawyer for the agency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/news\/ex-fbi-lawyer-clinesmith-given-probation-after-admitting-he-doctored-email-in-trump-probe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">doctored<\/a>\u00a0an email and used it as the basis for a sworn statement to spy on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page.<\/p>\n<p>Then again, why wouldn\u2019t an Obama administration that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/05\/14\/us\/phone-records-of-journalists-of-the-associated-press-seized-by-us.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spied<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/blogs\/ticket\/obama-admin-spied-fox-news-reporter-james-rosen-134204299.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">journalists<\/a>, millions of <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/national-security\/343785-newly-declassified-memos-detail-extent-of-improper-obama-era-nsa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Americans<\/a>, and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2014\/mar\/05\/obama-cia-senate-intelligence-committee-torture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">senators<\/a>\u2014and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QwiUVUJmGjs&#038;feature=emb_logo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">then<\/a> lied <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2018\/03\/22\/john-brennan-shouldnt-be-lecturing-america-he-should-be-the-focus-of-a-congressional-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">about it<\/a>\u2014 spy on the political opposition? Those same people, some ensconced in the agency, behind that abuse were almost surely feeding the media one half-baked Trump conspiracy theory after the next. Investigation after investigation would be launched, and despite lofty promises of Democrats, not a single person in Trump\u2019s orbit would be indicted of anything having to do with colluding with Putin to undermine the election of 2016. It was all a partisan attempt to criminalize policy positions they dislike.    <\/p>\n<p>Now we\u2019ve moved on to Jan. 6 committee hearings. The same double standards, of course, are again in play. When Republicans hold committee hearings, Democrats get to name their members. When Democrats hold committee hearings, they get to name all the members. When Obama Attorney General Eric Holder is held in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/story\/2012\/06\/holder-held-in-contempt-of-congress-077988\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contempt<\/a> of Congress over his role in sending guns to drug lords, he can laugh it off. When former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro is held in contempt, he is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2022\/07\/15\/judge-questions-feds-tactics-in-navarro-arrest-00046085\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shackled<\/a> by the FBI. When Democrats support underlying causes that end in riots, they are absolved of responsibility. When Republicans do, they are insurrectionists. <\/p>\n<p>All of this in an effort to cobble together disparate events and statements to create the perception that Republicans led a concerted \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nationalreview.com\/2021\/07\/january-6-was-not-a-coup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">coup<\/a>\u201d against the government. It seems to me, and perhaps I\u2019ll be proven wrong, this is part of that partisan effort. We\u2019ll soon find out. But you don\u2019t have to be a fan of Trump \u2014 and I\u2019m not; he acted recklessly and unpresidential, to say the least \u2014 to see how these precedents are dangerous or how they corrode trust in institutions. <\/p>\n<p>Of course, if Republicans were doing any of this, Democrats would be calling it authoritarian. And they\u2019d be right.  <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">\n  David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and author of five books\u2014the most recent, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Eurotrash-America-Reject-Failed-Continent\/dp\/0063066017\/\">Eurotrash: Why America Must Reject the Failed Ideas of a Dying Continent<\/a>. His work has appeared in National Review, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Reason, New York Post, and numerous other publications. Follow him on Twitter, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidharsanyi\/\">@davidharsanyi<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The day before Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election of 2016, The New York Times\u2019 Paul Krugman claimed that the FBI\u2014along with \u201cRussian intelligence\u201d\u2014had \u201crigged the election.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":831,"featured_media":1894430,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1597112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/831"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1597112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1894430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1597112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1597112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1597112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}