Thoughts on the Memo

The summary memo, written by Rep. Nunes regarding abuses at the DOJ and FBI was declassified and released yesterday.  Quite frankly, I was not shocked or even surprised by its contents since I have (sadly) come to accept that many establishment leaders lie, mislead, and care little for our laws or Constitution. What was, however, interesting to observe and reflect upon was the many reactions to the memo, both before and after its release.

It is important to remember as we reflect upon the memo and the reactions to it that when the FBI initially reviewed the memo it stated that there were no inaccuracies in the memo.

That review and statement by the FBI would seem to negate many of the Democrat assertions that the memo is full of lies.  Of course, as Alan Dershowitz has stated, we will never know for sure unless and until we actually see the underlying documents – the affidavits that led to the FISA warrents.  As Prof. Dershowitz has stated, this requires further investigation.

There was a time when I would have relied upon the media to conduct much of that investigation.  I grew up reading the reports of Woodward and Bernstein and the Watergate investigations.  That was a time when the press sought to uncover and bring information to light and to the people, and when they did it as a part of their duty to duty to inform the people rather than to further a particular political agenda.  Thus, their complicity in cover-ups and hiding or ignoring information is hard for me to accept.  Yet, their agenda is the Russia investigation as it can be used to damage Trump and so this memo and the civil liberties violations as well as any questions it may raise about the basis for some of Mr. Mueller’s evidence that it reveals is not of importance to them, especially when those violations were perpetrated by individuals aligned with the Democrat party.

But, let’s back up and consider the Democrat (and media) hysteria prior to the memo’s release.  To hear them, one would think that the world would come to an end if the people were to see this memo.  They told us it was full of lies (remember, the FBI itself stated no inaccuracies);  they said that it was an attack on not only the entire FBI, but the entire intelligence community (yet, as I read it, the memo singles out a few select individuals who did not live up to the high quality behavior that generally exists in the FBI and the rest of the intelligence community); the Democrats asserted that if the memo was released the people would not understand it (just another example of their disdain and disrespect for the people of this country). 

Note to Democrats:  the world did not end yesterday when the memo was released.  The people of the country are perfectly capable of reading it for what it is:  a statement of evidence that supports a finding of grievous violations by specific individuals within the FBI.  This is something that the people of this country have a right to know about.    And, we should all be asking if this is the extend of such violations or if they are or were more pervasive.

This memo is not about the Mueller investigation.  To the Republicans and Trump supporters who think it demands that investigation end, the memo does not do that (although, in my opinion, the investigation should end for many other reasons, but that is a subject for another post).  And the Democrats who think this is some sort of devious attempt to get rid of Mueller are wrong (perhaps they are the ones who are too stupid to read or understand the memo!)

The memo simply summarizes certain facts garnered by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence through their ongoing investigation into the DOJ and FBI and their use of FISA surveillance during the 2016 presidential campaign and election.  Again, we must remember that upon reading the memo prior to its release the FBI stated there were no inaccuracies. 

The memo is not an attack on the FBI, but simply reveals the corrupt actions of a few in power there:  corrupt actions that should be brought to light for the sake of the many good and dedicated people and public servants at the FBI.  I cannot fathom why this information should not be released to the people of this country.  We the people can read it for what it is and come to our own conclusions.  And, if we read the memo with an unbiased mind and with no political agenda we can see exactly what it says and what it does not say.

The memo tells us that there is evidence that supports conclusions that specific high-level individuals within our FBI and Justice systems lied to and withheld relevant information from the FISA Court in order to obtain warrants for surveillance of American citizens.  It tells us that unverified and unreliable partisan political documents formed the basis for warrant requests and the partisan basis was withheld from the Court.  The Deputy Director of FBI testified to the Committee that no surveillance warrant would have been sought without the unverified information that was nonetheless used to obtain the warrants.  The memo tells us that there were at least four opportunities for the FBI/DOJ to provide accurate information to the Court, yet that information was omitted.  The memo also tells us that certain high-level individuals with clear anti-Trump biases orchestrated leaks to the media intended to be harmful to Trump and/or helpful to the Democrat candidate.

This is serious stuff.   FISA warrants to surveil American citizens are requested and issued in secrecy and so we the people must depend upon those who request the warrants to act with the highest standards.  Those warrants cannot be used for political or personal purposes.  A wrongfully obtained warrant is a violation of the civil liberties that we in this country hold so dear.  We the people have a right to know when those high standards have not been met and we must hold accountable those who use their positions of power to violate someone’s civil liberties and to use a legitimate Court process to further personal and political agendas.

The FBI did not want the memo released; they and the Democrats asked that all names be omitted.  James Comey, one of those high officials mentioned in the memo, following the release of the memo tweeted, “That’s it?  Dishonest and misleading memo wrecked the House intel committee, destroyed trust with Intelligence Community, damaged relationship with FISA court and inexcusably exposed classified investigation of an American citizen.  For what?  DOJ & FBI must keep doing their jobs.”

Yes Mr. Comey, that is it, and it is disgraceful that you and your cronies with your lies and omissions and partisanship damaged the relationship of your agency with the FISA court and improperly obtained a warrant to spy upon an American citizen.  Yes, the DOJ and FBI must keep doing their jobs, something that you were not doing when you took it upon yourself to mislead a court because you felt your political agenda surpassed your duty to the American people.  And, as the FBI itself stated, the memo contained no inaccuracies, therefore contrary to your assertion, it is not dishonest, and it is inconceivable how it might have “wrecked” the committee.  What it did do is wreck the secret power structure (of which you seem to have been a part) that decided that its wishes were more important than the law.

Mr. Comey’s response reflects that of the Democrats.  Apparently, he and they believe that it is perfectly OK to use partisan campaign material to obtain surveillance warrants and that it is perfectly OK to lie to a Court as long as it fits your personal political agenda.  This is a big deal, even though the memo itself may not be.  This is about the abuse of power.   This is about a select few acting behind the cover of the very legitimate FISA courts to subvert the laws of this country and the will of the people for their own political gain.  This is about a select group deciding that the ends – their ends – justify the means, even if those means defy our laws and our Constitution and our civil liberties and our freedoms.

The memo is perhaps not the big deal it was and continues to be hyped.  But what it reveals is a very big deal.  It is something that a free and unbiased press would be investigating and reporting because this is something that the people not only have a right to know but about which they must be informed so that they can demand and protect the rights and freedoms that stand at the core of our democracy:  that this is a government of, for, and by the people and not one controlled in secret by a select few.