{"id":1784647,"date":"2022-12-23T06:05:45","date_gmt":"2022-12-23T11:05:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1784647"},"modified":"2022-12-23T07:19:34","modified_gmt":"2022-12-23T12:19:34","slug":"former-fbi-agent-to-fully-uncover-social-media-and-fbi-collusion-a-special-counsel-is-necessary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-fbi-agent-to-fully-uncover-social-media-and-fbi-collusion-a-special-counsel-is-necessary\/","title":{"rendered":"Former FBI Agent: To Fully Uncover Social Media and FBI Collusion, a Special Counsel Is Necessary"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/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%2Fformer-fbi-agent-to-fully-uncover-social-media-and-fbi-collusion-a-special-counsel-is-necessary%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=1784647&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 recent revelations shedding light on the collaboration between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-twitter\">Twitter<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-fbi\">FBI<\/a> are just the \u201ctip of the iceberg,\u201d retired FBI agent and former assistant district attorney, Marc Ruskin, alleged in an interview that aired on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ntd.com\/newsmakers-dec-21-the-battle-for-the-border-and-title-42_890077.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Newsmakers<\/a>\u00a0by NTD and The Epoch Times on Dec. 21.<\/p>\n<p>To fully uncover the collusion between Big Tech and the FBI, Ruskin believes a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-special-counsel\">special counsel<\/a> is necessary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis really is exactly the kind of situation that calls out for a general, or special, counsel to find out who was involved,\u201d Ruskin stated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd more importantly, at this point, who \u2026 in the government \u2026 authorized these intrusions into the constitutionally protected rights of the individuals\u2019 accounts who were highlighted, and were flagged, by the Bureau and other agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Uncovering Collusion and Abuse<\/h2>\n<p>According to Ruskin, Twitter isn\u2019t unique in its interactions with government agencies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to find that there were other interactions between the official government agencies, such as the Bureau [FBI] and Homeland Security, and other tech giants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Because of that interaction, Ruskin stated there must be an immediate investigation. And, in addition to calling for a special counsel, Ruskin believes congressional hearings are in order, as is an investigation led by the Justice Department\u2019s Inspector General.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2252058\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Marc_Ruskin-Benjamin_Chasteen-7284-e1564084282399-1200x792-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy wp-image-2252058 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Marc_Ruskin-Benjamin_Chasteen-7284-e1564084282399-1200x792-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"422\"   style=\"display:none\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-2252058 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Marc_Ruskin-Benjamin_Chasteen-7284-e1564084282399-1200x792-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"422\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Marc Ruskin outside the federal building in Manhattan on May 19. Ruskin\u2019s new book, \u201cThe Pretender,\u201d delves into his 27 years as an FBI agent, most of them spent as an undercover operative. (Benjamin Chasteen\/The Epoch Times)<\/figure>\n<p>Further about the FBI\u2019s involvement with Twitter, Ruskin stated \u201cIt clearly has the appearance of impropriety. And a full investigation would show if there was an abuse of power.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt certainly appears likely that the line was crossed here, between what is appropriate behavior in a democracy, where you expect a federal law enforcement agency to be independent and objective.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere, it certainly appears that the line\u2019s been crossed and that independence and objectivity were cast aside, at least by the upper managers [at the FBI].\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Freedom of Speech<\/h2>\n<p>Regarding freedom of speech in America, Ruskin believes the First Amendment is under attack.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwenty or 30 years ago, there was a unanimity in terms of believing that speech\u2014especially political speech, expression of belief, or religious speech\u2014was sacrosanct and could not be interfered with.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNow, with the insertion of the concept of \u2018misinformation,\u2019 in order to justify what [German-American philosopher Herbert]\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marcuse.org\/herbert\/publications\/1960s\/1965-repressive-tolerance-fulltext.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcuse<\/a>\u00a0called \u2018repressive tolerance\u2019\u2014which is to say when you argue that there should be freedom of speech,\u00a0however, some speech needs to be restricted for the good of society\u2014that\u2019s the way that they\u2019re kinda easing in the back door. By qualifying certain speech as \u2018harmful to society,\u2019 and thus, deserving of control and limits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ruskin alleged that once you introduce Marcuse\u2019s basic concept, the question becomes who determines what qualifies as \u201cmisinformation,\u201d or \u201cgood speech,\u201d and \u201cbad speech?\u201d And that\u2019s where the attack on free speech becomes particularly dangerous, as it\u2019s a \u201cslippery slope into a totalitarian state.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Twitter Files<\/h2>\n<p>Since taking over Twitter, Elon Musk has been vocal about transparency and the need for people to see what happened behind the scenes at the social media company. To that end, he released secret emails and discussions about shadow-banning or removing accounts that didn\u2019t toe the party line. They\u2019re called the Twitter Files.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the latest Twitter Files drop includes revelations that appear to show the FBI worked closely with Twitter to discredit reports, like the Hunter Biden laptop story.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, concerning the laptop story, the drop alleged that FBI agents, working with former FBI agents subsequently employed at Twitter, prepared top executives at Twitter and Facebook to outright dismiss the laptop story as Russian disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>Other information in the drop alleges FBI officials flagged specific accounts for suppression by Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>In response to the allegations, the FBI released a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/fbi-responds-to-musks-twitter-files-says-conspiracy-theorists-trying-to-discredit-bureau_4938649.html?utm_source=ai&#038;utm_medium=search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">statement<\/a>\u00a0to Fox News denying any impropriety on their part.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3661624\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/social-media-subpoenas-1200x661-1200x661-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy wp-image-3661624 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/themes\/eet\/images\/white.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/social-media-subpoenas-1200x661-1200x661-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"353\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3661624 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/social-media-subpoenas-1200x661-1200x661-1.jpg\" alt=\"Epoch Times Photo\" width=\"640\" height=\"353\" \/><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a> Facebook, Google, and Twitter logos are seen in this combination photograph. (Reuters)<\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe correspondence between the FBI and Twitter shows nothing more than examples of our traditional, longstanding, and ongoing federal government and private sector engagements, which involve numerous companies over multiple sectors and industries,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n<p>It further asserts that the allegations against the FBI result from \u201cconspiracy theorists\u201d working to discredit the FBI to Americans.<\/p>\n<p>As part of its reporting, The Epoch Times sought comment from the DOJ and the FBI on the Twitter Files revelations and their involvement with social media companies.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI National Press Office responded, \u201cThe FBI regularly engages with private sector entities to provide information specific to identified foreign malign influence actors\u2019 subversive, undeclared, covert, or criminal activities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is not based on the content of any particular message or narrative. Private sector entities independently make decisions about what, if any, action they take on their platforms and for their customers after the FBI has notified them.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-katie-spence\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/WEB_KatieSpence-1.jpg\" alt=\"Katie Spence\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p>Katie covers energy and politics for The Epoch Times. Before starting her career as a journalist, Katie proudly served in the Air Force as an Airborne Operations Technician on JSTARS. Katie\u2019s writing has appeared on CNSNews.com, The Maverick Observer, The Motley Fool, First Quarter Finance, The Cheat Sheet, and Investing.com. Email her at katie.spence@epochtimes.us<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The recent revelations shedding light on the collaboration between Twitter and the FBI are just the \u201ctip of the iceberg,\u201d retired FBI agent and former assistant district attorney, Marc Ruskin, alleged in an interview that aired on\u00a0Newsmakers\u00a0by NTD and The Epoch Times on Dec. 21. To fully uncover the collusion between Big Tech and the &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1784410,"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":[547],"tags":[6962,3695,10847,5458,6926,9130,5591,3692,5067,4188,11295,3819,5127,7262,7460],"class_list":["post-1784647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report","tag-the","tag-agent","tag-and","tag-bongino","tag-collusion","tag-counsel","tag-fbi","tag-former","tag-fully","tag-media","tag-necessary","tag-report","tag-social","tag-special","tag-uncover"],"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\/1784647","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1784647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1784647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1784410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1784647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1784647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1784647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}