Liberal establishment throws conniption over Trump's FBI director announcement; Patel speaks out



Establishmentarians hostile to President-elect Donald Trump have spent weeks characterizing former National Security Council official Kash Patel as a threat to their dysfunctional status quo.

Former FBI Special Agent Daniel Brunner told CNN last month that "putting someone like Kash Patel in the position of director of the FBI is, I believe, extremely, extremely dangerous." Andrew McCabe, the former FBI deputy director who undermined the Trump presidency with Crossfire Hurricane, said, "There is a lot of damage someone like Kash Patel could do."

Following many such unintentional endorsements, Trump announced Saturday that he will nominate Patel as FBI director Christopher Wray's replacement.

Although Patel wasted no time indicating what he intends to achieve at the FBI, elements of the liberal establishment and intelligence community signaled a desire to instead rely on their own slapdash dystopian fiction for insights into what might happen next.

'I think the best-case scenario for everybody is that Kash Patel and this talk of Kash Patel ends.'

David Frum, the former George W. Bush speechwriter and Atlantic editor who suggested days after Trump was shot in Pennsylvania that the gunman and his target were "common enemies of law and democracy," tweeted, "We are headed toward a US constitutional crisis vastly bigger than Watergate."

MSNBC talking head Joe Scarborough similarly panicked, saying, "This is not only bad for the men and women who run the FBI. This not only bad for the rule of law. This is not only bad for the First Amendment. This is not only bad for the United States of America. This is bad for Donald Trump. This is bad for the Trump administration. This is not going to end well. So I think the best-case scenario for everybody is that Kash Patel and this talk of Kash Patel ends."

The Washington Post's Ruth Marcus complained, "This is not normal," and urged Republican senators to "stand up to Trump."

Although the GOP won a majority in the U.S. Senate, those nominal Republicans who reportedly refused to support Matt Gaetz's appointment to run the Department of Justice — Sens. Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), and John Curtis (Utah) — could help spike Patel's nomination.

McCabe griped to CNN on Sunday, "The installation or the nomination, I guess we should say at this point, of Kash Patel's FBI director can only possibly be a plan to disrupt, to dismantle, to distract the FBI and to possibly use it as a tool for the president's political agenda."

"And, you know, as an organization, we know what that looks like. This country has been there before, right?" continued McCabe, James Comey's former right-hand man who shut down investigations into the Clinton Foundation in 2016.

McCabe quickly made clear that he was not referencing the Biden FBI's targeting of pro-life activists, traditional Christians, political opponents, and outspoken parents, but rather the FBI's former targeting of communists.

"The pre-Watergate FBI, the J. Edgar Hoover FBI struck fear in the hearts of Americans across the spectrum — of politicians, people in entertainment, people in the civil rights community — because the director operated at the direction of presidents to collect political intelligence and to utilize the legal authorities, the investigative authorities of the FBI, to terrorize and intimidate Americans," said McCabe.

Former Bush adviser John Bolton, a key proponent of America's disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq, similarly criticized Trump's decision, reportedly stating, "Trump has nominated Kash Patel to be his Lavrenty Beria. Fortunately, the FBI is not the NKVD. The Senate should reject this nomination 100-0."

Vice President-elect JD Vance responded, "John Bolton has been wrong about everything so I guess Kash must be pretty awesome."

'You shut down the Hoover building immediately.'

In his announcement on Truth Social Saturday, Trump noted, "Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and 'America First' fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People. He played a pivotal role in uncovering the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, standing as an advocate for truth, accountability, and the Constitution."

"Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council," continued the president-elect. "Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials. This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI."

After first making an X account, Patel shared the following statement: "It is the honor of a lifetime to be nominated by President Trump to serve as Director of the FBI. Together, we will restore integrity, accountability, and equal justice to our justice system and return the FBI to its rightful mission: protecting the American people."

While Patel has been highly critical of the FBI, he told Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck in December 2023 that the bureau is "fixable" and explained what reform might look like.

"You shut down the Hoover building immediately. I think you literally open it up the next day as a museum of the deep state and you let everybody walk the halls for free, and you leave that behemoth open 365 days a year," said Patel. "You need like 20 people in a skiff to run the FBI. The other 7,000 agents that are sitting in that building should be chasing criminals around America, not distorting statistics about January 6 so Chris Ray can go to Congress and lie and say, 'Domestic violent terrorism is on the rise.'"

While various Democrats joined McCabe in throwing tantrums, various Republican lawmakers celebrated Trump's choice.

'He is a man of honor, unquestionable loyalty, and an American Patriot.'

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wrote, "Kash Patel has extensive experience in national security and intelligence. He is an America First patriot who will bring much-needed change and transparency to the FBI."

Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty (R) told NBC's "Meet the Press," "There are serious problems at the FBI. The American public knows it. They expect to see sweeping change, and Kash Patel is just the type of person to do it."

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said, "I look forward to supporting him and pushing this nomination across the finish line."

"Kash will get confirmed by the Senate," tweeted Rep.-elect Abe Hamadeh (R-Ariz.). "He is a man of honor, unquestionable loyalty, and an American Patriot. Kash is the son of Indian immigrants who escaped Uganda's genocidal dictator, Idi Amin. He WILL restore and uphold the rule of law, and the FBI will be premier again!"

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Andrew McCabe, other deep state mascots want Mike Rogers for FBI director — but Trump adviser says 'it's not happening'



Andrew McCabe, the former FBI deputy director who shut down investigations into the Clinton Foundation in 2016 then undermined the Trump presidency with Crossfire Hurricane, told CNN Thursday that former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers would be a "totally reasonable, logical selection" for President-elect Donald Trump's FBI director.

McCabe said that Rogers' "strongest qualification ... is the respect and awareness and knowledge that he has for the intelligence community, for the work they do, for the seriousness of that work, for how those secrets and that sensitive information needs to be protected."

To the likely displeasure of McCabe and other exponents of the Washington security establishment, Trump has apparently joined Michigan voters in rejecting Rogers.

Trump adviser Dan Scavino indicated Friday morning — shortly after Fox News' Brian Kilmeade sung Rogers' praises — that where FBI Director Christopher Wray's replacement is concerned, Rogers is "not happening."

Scavino quoted President-elect Donald Trump as saying, "I have never even given it a thought."

This came as great news to those alternatively keen to see former National Security Council official Kash Patel named Wray's successor.

"Winning," tweeted Donald Trump Jr.

"Boom," wrote Revolver News editor Darren Beattie.

Rumors that Trump was considering Rogers for the position began to circulate last week after the former congressman met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.

The prospect of a defense lobbyist associated with censorious groups antagonistic to Trump and historically supportive of mass surveillance programs running the FBI rankled Trump loyalists and other critics of the dysfunctional administrative state, particularly those keen to see Patel nominated.

Mike Benz, the executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, told former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon that Rogers' involvement with the Atlantic Council — "probably the number-one apex predator in the entire censorship industry" — and his help advancing Russiagate were disqualifying.

'There is a lot of damage someone like Kash Patel could do.'

Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald tweeted, "There's literally no worse appointment possible than choosing Mike Rogers for FBI Director, or for any government position. He's the single most devoted loyalist to the US Security State and all of its multi-faceted abuses. It doesn't get worse than Mike Rogers."

Wikileaks highlighted that Rogers, favored by Republican Sens. Susan Collins (Maine) and John Cornyn (Texas), not only pushed for the suppression of a Republican memo critical of the FBI's spying on the Trump campaign but was involved with the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy initiative and its Hamilton 68 Dashboard. Wikileaks noted that the dashboard's "true purpose appeared to be casting suspicion on Trump supporters and reinforcing claims that his presidency was illegitimate."

McCabe — whom Trump fired in March 2018 after the Justice Department's inspector general concluded McCabe had authorized an information leak to a liberal reporter then lied about it — expressed horror Thursday at the prospect of Patel taking power.

"It's inconceivable to me that an outsider with no experience in the organization, no knowledge of the work and the scope of authority that’s involved there could perform adequately," he told CNN. "If you enter into that position with nothing more than a desire to disrupt and destroy the organization, there is a lot of damage someone like Kash Patel could do."

McCabe is hardly the only establishmentarian fearful of Patel taking over the bureau.

'I'd shut down the FBI Hoover building on Day One.'

Former FBI Special Agent Daniel Brunner told CNN's Jessica Dean on Sunday, "Putting someone like Kash Patel in the position of director of the FBI is, I believe, extremely, extremely dangerous."

"He has clearly stated that he wants to exact revenge upon those that have investigated President Trump and those who have investigated those that are around him. He will conduct a massive amount of damage to the interior of the FBI," added Brunner.

The leftist blog New Republic called Patel an "intellectual lightweight" and warned that "if Trump installs Patel at the FBI, it would certainly further Trump and his MAGA allies' goal of purging the federal workforce of disloyal employees."

Patel wrote in his book "Government Gangsters" that "government tyranny" within the FBI must be eliminated and called for the removal of anyone who "in any way abused their authority for political ends."

"The FBI has become so thoroughly compromised that it will remain a threat to the people unless drastic measures are taken," wrote Patel.

Patel recently told "The Shawn Ryan Show," "I'd shut down the FBI Hoover building on Day One and reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state."

Blaze News previously reported that despite his characterization as inexperienced, Patel has served as chief of staff to former acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller; as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council; principal deputy to the acting director of national intelligence; as national security adviser for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; as a terrorism prosecutor at the Department of Justice; as a public defender; and as a hockey coach.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Trump's potential pick for FBI director haunted by Russiagate, 'security state' loyalties



FBI Director Christopher Wray's 10-year term does not expire until 2027. President-elect Donald Trump is, however, expected to replace him upon taking office. While Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who Trump said is "a very talented guy," might be in contention, the two men whose names keep popping up in discussions of a potential successor are former National Security Council official Kash Patel and former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers.

Establishmentarians have piled on Patel, characterizing him as inexperienced, revenge-driven, and "dangerous."

While Rogers, who specialized in organized crime as a special agent at the FBI's Chicago office, has so far avoided similar abuse, Trump loyalists and critics of the American intelligence community have expressed concerns about his past associations with individuals and censorious groups antagonistic to Trump; his historic support for surveillance programs; and the role he apparently played in pushing Russiagate.

Former Trump adviser Stephen K. Bannon asked Mike Benz, the executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, this week why the "MAGA right" would be "particularly upset about a guy like Mike Rogers, who in normal times would be looked at as a fine, center-right candidate put up by a Romney-type Republican administration?"

'You can't really have a compromised candidate.'

Benz, keen to see Patel nominated, suggested that Rogers' involvement with the Atlantic Council — "probably the number-one apex predator in the entire censorship industry" — and his help advancing Russiagate were disqualifying.

"The relationship between the Justice Department and the FBI is the same relationship that's shared between the U.S. State Department and the CIA. They need to be constantly in sync," said Benz.

"You can't really have a compromised candidate where one person supports the president and the other person is looking to put a knife in the president's back. That is simply untenable when you're dealing with the kind of special, compartmentalized operations that happen at the FBI level."

The Daily Caller reported that Rogers is not only a member of the Aspen Cybersecurity Institute, a left-leaning think tank, but also served as an adviser to the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for Securing Democracy initiative, spearheaded by a former foreign policy adviser to failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and aimed at tackling supposed Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The ASD launched the Hamilton 68 Dashboard in 2017 to monitor hundreds of then-Twitter accounts allegedly linked to Russian influence efforts online — a project likened by investigative reporter Matt Taibbi to "digital McCarthyism that was repeatedly used by establishment media publications as a source to push the Russian influence and interference narratives that Democrats, in turn, exploited during Trump's first term."

According to Taibbi, when Twitter executives attempted to recreate the group's list of accounts, they determined that the accounts were "neither strongly Russia nor strongly bots," and indicated that "there is no evidence to support their statements that the dashboard is a finger on the pulse of Russian information ops."

When pressed for comment, Rogers' spokesman Chris Gustafon said in a statement to the Caller, "President-elect Trump is once again assembling a fantastic administration to help the American people and Make America Great Again."

Wikileaks, which has been highly critical of Rogers as an FBI director aspirant, suggested that the ASD was a "central player in efforts to tie President Donald Trump and his supporters to Russian interference in the 2016 election" and that the Hamilton 68 Dashboard's "true purpose appeared to be casting suspicion on Trump supporters and reinforcing claims that his presidency was illegitimate."

Wikileaks also highlighted how in 2018, Rogers advocated for the suppression of a Republican memo critical of the FBI's spying on the Trump campaign.

Rogers told NPR at the time the memo should not be released because

you're only going to get a small part of the picture. And so what they're purportedly alleging is going to come out in the memo today is that there was some misconduct on behalf of FBI agents and some DOJ officials, lawyers at the Department of Justice, in the application for something called the FISA, which is the secret court that does counterintelligence, espionage cases, terrorism cases, where it needs to be in a classified setting.

Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald, responding to a video of Rogers apparently joking with Hunter Biden "intel" letter signatory Michael Hayden about having Edward Snowden assassinated, tweeted, "There's literally no worse appointment possible than choosing Mike Rogers for FBI Director, or for any government position. He's the single most devoted loyalist to the US Security State and all of its multi-faceted abuses. It doesn't get worse than Mike Rogers."

While Rogers' past remarks and associations may serve as red flags for the president-elect, Trump endorsed him in March for his unsuccessful bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Michigan — months after the former congressman and defense lobbyist criticized the Biden Justice Department's "war" against Trump.

Patel endorsed Rogers for Senate in April, saying he would "hold the FBI and DOJ accountable."

"I am a big fan of Mike Rogers, and should there be an opening [for FBI director], he would be my choice," said Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R).

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said, "Mike Rogers is a terrific guy. I don't know Kash Patel."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Former agent unintentionally makes pitch for Kash Patel to run FBI: 'Extremely dangerous'



President-elect Donald Trump's nominations so far have generated significant backlash from establishmentarians, confirming the picks' strategic value as disruptors.

While Trump has yet to disclose who, if anyone, he wants to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray — whose term does not expire until 2027 — the old guard's pre-emptive attacks on former National Security Council official Kash Patel signal that he might be the prospect most threatening to the dysfunctional status quo.

Senior officials at the highly politicized bureau are preparing for a thorough housecleaning. Meanwhile, former FBI Special Agent Daniel Brunner has gone to the liberal media with his concerns, blasting Patel as "dangerous" and insinuating that his housecleaning may prove to be more thorough than that executed by others.

When speaking to CNN's Jessica Dean on Sunday, Brunner parroted the talking points that have been recycled by others in Washington, D.C., in response to each of Trump's appointment announcements: Patel is supposedly inexperienced, revenge-driven, and keen on littering a sacrosanct federal agency with pink slips.

'He will conduct a massive amount of damage to the interior of the FBI.'

"It's really important to understand that the person who is leading the FBI, who is the director and then the deputy director, those are two very important positions," Brunner told Dean. "You're in charge of tens of thousands of employees, both special agents, analysts, everyone that is enforcing the law, federal law that is on the books and supporting the Constitution of the United States. Putting someone like Kash Patel in the position of director of the FBI is, I believe, extremely, extremely dangerous."

Brunner unwittingly continued his commercial for Patel, noting, "His resume isn't traditional. There is nothing on his resume other than three years as a line U.S. attorney at the DOJ."

Patel previously served as chief of staff to former acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller; as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council; principal deputy to the acting director of national intelligence; as national security adviser for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; as a terrorism prosecutor at the Department of Justice; as a public defender; and as a hockey coach.

After downplaying Patel's experience, Brunner highlighted what was apparently his greater concern:

He has clearly stated that he wants to exact revenge upon those that have investigated President Trump and those who have investigated those that are around him. He will conduct a massive amount of damage to the interior of the FBI ... and employees who have put their names on certain documents because they were just working the case. There will be hundreds of employees who will be unjustly fired or have their security clearances removed only because he feels that it’s something he needs to do. So I think he'll be very, very dangerous.

Elements of the liberal media appear to be singing the same tune.

The leftist blog New Republic blasted Patel as an "intellectual lightweight," warning that "if Trump installs Patel at the FBI, it would certainly further Trump and his MAGA allies' goal of purging the federal workforce of disloyal employees."

Another prospect, former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), has not been subject to the kind of attacks that Patel has faced in recent days.

Semafor reported that the "MAGA wing" of the Republican Party is keen to see Patel as FBI director, whereas "more conventional Republicans" are pushing for Rogers, the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee who defended warrantless surveillance of American citizens.

"If they aren't bloody, if they don't have scars from one of the get Trump 'scandals,' then they're for Rogers," an unnamed source close to the transition team told Semafor.

"I am a big fan of Mike Rogers, and should there be an opening, he would be my choice," said Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R).

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said, "Mike Rogers is a terrific guy. I don't know Kash Patel."

While Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said Rogers "might be good," he stressed that Patel would "be great."

"Smart, knows a lot about law enforcement," said Tuberville. "He's loyal to the president. And those are pretty much the top requirements."

Toward the end of his first term, Trump considered installing Patel as deputy director at the FBI or CIA, reported the Associated Press. The plan fell apart when then-CIA Director Gina Haspel and former Attorney General Bill Barr made a stink.

In his book "Goverment Gangsters," Patel called for an elimination of "government tyranny" within the FBI and the removal of anyone who "in any way abused their authority for political ends," reported ABC News.

"The FBI has become so thoroughly compromised that it will remain a threat to the people unless drastic measures are taken," wrote Patel.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

'Their days are numbered': Federal bureaucrats are panicking over Trump win — especially at DOJ and FBI



Employees at the Biden-Harris Department of Justice and their fellow travelers at the FBI are apparently "shell-shocked" and updating their resumes following President-elect Donald Trump's landslide electoral victory.

Federal bureaucrats' apparent fears of a thorough housecleaning are justified, as Trump has made no secret of his plan to "shatter the Deep State and restore government that is controlled by the People."

Background

In March 2023, Trump announced that on day one, he would reissue his 2020 executive order establishing the Schedule F employment category for federal employees, making it easier to remove insubordinate and poorly performing bureaucrats from an estimated pool of 50,000 eligible candidates.

"I will wield that power aggressively," Trump vowed.

President Joe Biden revoked Trump's Schedule F in January 2021 and announced a rule earlier this year aimed at further shielding federal bureaucrats from accountability and from being ousted under a framework resembling Schedule F.

'They're getting the hell out of dodge.'

Reversing this rule might take months and involve legal challenges. Nevertheless, Trump appears committed to ensuring that America's democratically elected president will once again "have appropriate management oversight regarding this select cadre of professionals."

Trump also vowed in his 10-point plan to "clean out all of the corrupt actors in our national security and intelligence apparatus."

"The departments and agencies that have been weaponized will be completely overhauled so that faceless bureaucrats will never again be able to target and persecute conservatives, Christians, or the left's political enemies, which they're doing now at a level that nobody can believe even possible," said Trump.

Since detailing his cleanup program last year, Trump has brought on Elon Musk to lead a federal efficiency initiative, which might reinforce the cleanup of deadwood at the Justice Department and its well-armed offshoot.

Reaping the whirlwind

Blaze News investigative journalist Steve Baker said that bureaucrats at the DOJ and the FBI are right to panic, not only because a "reshuffling of the deck is normal" but because Trump is poised to make good on his pledge to personify and deliver "retribution" for those Americans wronged by what has become an increasingly politicized justice system.

"We know that this panic is happening at the assistant U.S. attorney level and at the U.S. attorney level. These guys are already planning their exits," said Baker. "They know that their days are numbered. They are looking for their golden parachutes into the big, high-power law firms. They're getting the hell out of dodge."

FBI employees are expecting a similar shake-up and pre-emptive exodus.

Several anonymous bureau sources recently told the Washington Times that the top brass at the FBI were "stunned" and "shell-shocked" by Kamala Harris' humiliating electoral defeat.

The insiders, convinced that the president-elect will "smash the place to pieces when he gets in," suggested that no one at the supervisory special agent pay grade (GS-14) or higher is safe from losing their jobs, especially not Director Christopher Wray.

"It's a countdown for Wray because [people here] don't think he will stay to get fired after what Trump did to Comey," said one FBI source. "Trump will say, 'Yeah, fire his ass. Don't let him take the plane home.'"

Trump appointed Wray in 2017. While the director's term is not set to expire for another three years, the president-elect could put him out to pasture.

'Everyone's going to have a real problem when they're running for the door.'

FBI employees are apparently also wary about Musk's efficiency commission.

One source told the Times, "When [Musk] tries to do efficiency at headquarters, the place is going to have five people."

"Try to find a person that's actually working," continued the source. "That may be the biggest problem there — that there's no efficiency. So that's actually the bigger threat. If you're going to try to make the government efficient, you would start with the FBI, because if you do politics all the time, you're probably bloated."

Another source suggested to the Times that some FBI employees who have grown tired of the Jan. 6 witch hunt are amused over the prospect that Trump will liberally issue pardons, nullifying their efforts.

While the promise of pardons has apparently amused some bureaucrats, it hasn't slowed down Democratic elements of the judiciary.

Baker, whose pretrial hearing regarding his Jan. 6 misdemeanor charges is scheduled for Tuesday, told Blaze News that despite the understanding that Trump will ultimately pardon nonviolent Jan. 6 protesters, D.C. courts are continuing to waste time and taxpayer funds pursuing his and similar cases.

"They are going forward with the process no matter what, when they should be hitting the pause button," said Baker.

While the president-elect currently lacks authority, Baker suggested that "he should at least issue a public statement and say, 'I'm telling you, DOJ, I'm telling you, FBI, I'm telling you, judges of the D.C. District Court: You're wasting your time. You're wasting the people's time. And you're wasting the people's money going through this process because I'm going to put a stop to this on the day of or day following my inauguration.' He could at least send a signal."

Baker suggested that such a statement may not get through to those blinded by hatred and committed to crushing Jan. 6 protesters, but it might resonate with those persons in the District of Columbia still equipped with common sense.

In the meantime, it appears that FBI employees are getting ready for a change of employment.

"You know the fit test? How they let the standards slack on the fit test?" one FBI source told the Times, referencing the bureau's physical fitness requirements. "Everyone's going to have a real problem when they're running for the door."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

'FBI violated American citizens' 4A rights 278,000 times': Bureau blasted over attempt to put gloss on Section 702



The FBI is attempting to rehabilitate the public image of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as Congress has until April 19 to reauthorize it. The bureau recently posted a video to X that features FBI Director Christopher Wray attempting to put a gloss on Section 702 as part of this monthslong campaign.

The bureau's timely propaganda did not escape the attention of critics on X, where the post received a community note that read, "The FBI violated American citizens' 4A rights 278,000 times with illegal, unauthorized FISA 702 searches."

Among the critics was Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who wrote, "FBI just got called out in a community note on X. Congress — take note. FISA 702 has been used for warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of times. Yet FBI demands 702 be reauthorized by April 19 WITHOUT a warrant requirement for searches of U.S. citizens."

"Many in Congress will want to reauthorize FISA 702 — which is set to expire April 19th — either without modification or (more likely) with fake reforms that fail to impose a warrant requirement for searches directed at Americans," added the senator.

What is Section 702?

Section 702 is a provision of FISA enacted by Congress in 2008 that enables the state to spy on foreign nationals located outside the U.S. with the compelled aid of electronic communication service providers.

This was the law exploited by the FBI to spy on members of the Trump campaign in 2016 without probable cause.

According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Congress enacted Section 702 in order to "address a collection gap that resulted from the evolution of technology in the years after FISA was passed in 1978."

"Many terrorists and other foreign adversaries were using email accounts serviced by U.S. companies," claimed the ODNI. "Because of this change in communications technology, the government had to seek individual court orders, based on a finding of probable cause, to obtain the communications of non-U.S. persons located abroad."

Supposedly, going through the courts proved too costly "because of the resources required and because the government couldn't always meet the probable cause standard, which was designed to protect U.S. persons and persons in the U.S."

Warrantless spying on Americans

While 702 targets must be foreign nationals believed to be outside the U.S., the FBI readily admits that "such targets may send an email or have a phone call with a U.S. person."

As a consequence, multitudes of American citizens have been subjected to warrantless surveillance and have had their phone calls, text messages, emails, and other communications tapped and stored.

Blaze News previously reported that during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in June 2023, the FBI admitted there had been at least 278,000 "unintentional" back-door search queries of the 702 database for the private communications of Americans between 2020 and 2021 alone.

Among those Americans caught up in the warrantless searches were Jan. 6 protesters, 19,000 donors to a congressional campaign, and BLM protesters.

The Hill reported that long after the FBI ran numerous searches of people suspected of partaking in the Jan. 6 protests, the Department of Justice concluded the bureau had not met the standard required for such a search.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate at the June 2023 hearing, "Your institution is the one that, according to the court, the FISA court, ran 278,000 unwarranted — probably illegal — queries on Americans, right? That was your institution, correct?"

Abbate responded, "With respect to the compliance incident, yes."

Reauthorization

Wray sang praises to Section 702 when testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in December and did so again before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on March 11.

In his March 11 testimony, Wray stated, "The FISA Court itself most recently found 98% compliance and commented on the reforms working. The most recent Justice Department report found the reforms working, 99% compliance. And so, I think legislation that ensures those reforms stay in place but also preserves the agility and the utility of the tools, what we need to be able to protect the American people."

The FBI's March 25 social post containing an excerpt from Wray's testimony was not well-received.

Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) wrote, "The FBI was correctly called out in a community note for lying about its unconstitutional, warrantless surveillance of Americans. Congress must eliminate FISA abuse and protect the American people's privacy."

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) tweeted, "The FBI has been corrected in community notes and rightfully so."

FBI whistlelower Steve Friend reiterated that the FBI "violated constitutional rights and abused FISA Section 702 over 278,000 times in a single year."

Sen. Lee emphasized that he and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D) have introduced a bill that would reauthorize 702 but in a fashion that would supposedly safeguard American privacy and liberties.

Their so-called Security and Freedom Enhancement Act would require intelligence agencies to obtain a FISA Title I order or a warrant prior to accessing the contents of Americans' communications collected under Section 702.

"While only foreigners overseas may be targeted, the program sweeps in massive amounts of Americans' communications, which may be searched without a warrant. Even after implementing compliance measures, the FBI still conducted more than 200,000 warrantless searches of Americans' communications in just one year — more than 500 warrantless searches per day," said Durbin.

Durbin figured this legislation would make reauthorizing Section 702 palatable.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Despite big talk, House Republicans cancel vote to charge FBI Director Wray with contempt after bureau grants access to damning record



House Republicans were poised to vote Thursday to charge FBI Director Christopher Wray with contempt of Congress after the bureau refused to comply with a congressional subpoena for well over a month. It appears, however, that both Republicans and the FBI flinched at the last moment.

The FBI decided Wednesday to provide the House Oversight Committee full access to the sought-after document detailing alleged criminal activity involving President Joe Biden.

In turn, House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) removed the vote to hold Wray in contempt from Thursday's schedule.

The House Oversight Committee had released a resolution and accompanying report earlier in the day, recommending the House of Representatives hold Wray in contempt of Congress and setting a vote for Thursday at 9:00 a.m.

"We have been clear that the FBI must produce the unclassified FD-1023 record to the custody of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. To date, the FBI has refused to comply with our lawfully issued subpoena and even refused to admit the record’s existence up until a week ago," Comer said in a statement.

Congressional Republicans subpoenaed the FBI in early May for a document possibly containing evidence of an alleged criminal scheme involving Biden and, according to ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), corrupt dealings in Ukraine.

Comer and Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) noted in a corresponding May 3 letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Wray that the form contains "valuable, verifiable information" describing "an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions."

The FBI missed various deadlines, including the initial May 10 deadline and a May 30 deadline.

The bureau showed Comer and Raskin the document in a secure room Monday; however, this secretive showcase did not placate House Republicans, who stressed that the FBI had still not satisfied the demands of the May subpoena.

Just hours after Comer released his Wednesday resolution, stressing the need to hold the federal government accountable, the FBI finally offered to give every lawmaker on the committee access to a redacted version of the FD-1023 record, reported the Associated Press.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) reportedly indicated that would suffice, reported the New York Times.

“He needs to show it to every Republican and every Democrat on the committee,” said McCarthy. "If he is willing to do that, then there’s not a need to have contempt."

While McCarthy was satisfied, it was not clear that Comer would accept the FBI's last-minute offer, particularly since he had long stressed that only the provision of an unredacted version of the record would qualify as compliance with the congressional subpoena.

Comer ultimately budged, stating, "After weeks of refusing to even admit the FD-1023 record exists, the FBI has caved and is now allowing all members of the Oversight and Accountability Committee to review this unclassified record that memorializes a confidential human source’s conversations with a foreign national who claimed to have bribed then-Vice President Joe Biden"

The Kentucky Republican added, "Allowing all Oversight Committee members to review this record is an important step toward conducting oversight of the FBI and holding it accountable to the American people."

Rep. Raskin appeared relieved that Comer wouldn't ultimately hold Wray's feet to the fire, stating, "Holding someone in contempt of Congress is among the most serious actions our Committee can take and it should not be weaponized to undermine the FBI"

Republicans have yet to wield the contempt power since taking the House, whereas Democrats previously used it liberally, having recently charged former President Donald Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!