Americans increasingly recognizing FBI misconduct: Whistleblower
FBI Whistleblower Exposes Troubling Truths About the Agency
FBI whistleblower Stephen Friend has shed light on the alarming realities surrounding the agency, revealing that more Americans are starting to recognize that something is seriously amiss.
“People are becoming more aware of the FBI’s malfeasance,” Mr. Friend said in an interview with The Epoch Times.
“There’s a strong case to be made that the FBI was never about protecting the United States Constitution,” he added. “A case could also be made that the FBI has always been an extraconstitutional organization.”
“It has more to do with preserving the status quo and doing the bidding of those in charge,” he explained.
One of the most glaring examples of the FBI’s weaponization, according to Mr. Friend, is its relentless pursuit of Americans who participated in the protests on Jan. 6, 2021.
As previously reported by The Epoch Times, the U.S. government has spent over two years relentlessly pursuing individuals involved in the U.S. Capitol protests on Jan. 6, 2021. More than 1,000 have been arrested, with many being incarcerated without trial or conviction.
To this day, the FBI is actively seeking the public’s assistance in identifying individuals connected to the events of that day, utilizing their full investigative resources and collaborating with federal, state, and local partners to aggressively pursue those involved in criminal activities.
Mr. Friend, a 12-year veteran of the FBI and a SWAT team member, was suspended after raising concerns about the department’s overzealous methods in persecuting conservative Americans as part of the ongoing investigation into the events of Jan. 6, 2021.
He also refused to participate in excessive force SWAT raids against Jan. 6 suspects accused of misdemeanor offenses.
Following his suspension, 30 former FBI agents publicly expressed their support for Mr. Friend, with retired San Francisco agent Ernie Tibaldi commending him for standing up against the corruption that has infiltrated the FBI’s leadership.
‘Heavy-Handed’ but ‘Legal’
While acknowledging the FBI’s tactics as “heavy-handed,” John Malcom, vice president for the Institute for Constitutional Government for The Heritage Foundation, asserts that their efforts to apprehend Jan. 6 participants are within the bounds of the law.
Mr. Malcom explains that although their actions may be seen as unseemly and outrageous, they are legal. He points out that the statute of limitations for Jan. 6 offenses is at least five years, allowing the FBI to pursue arrests and bring individuals to justice.
While acknowledging that many may view these efforts as politically motivated, Mr. Malcom refrains from disabusing them of that notion, emphasizing that the FBI’s aggressive approach to law enforcement warrants a legitimate inquiry into whether it is driven by showmanship or political purposes.
Justifying the Budget
Joseph McBride, an attorney representing several Jan. 6 defendants, concurs with Mr. Malcom’s assessment that those involved in more violent activities on Jan. 6 have already been apprehended. He suggests that the FBI’s continued pursuit of additional Jan. 6 participants is an attempt to justify their request for increased funding, even as arrest rates have significantly declined.
According to NBC, the pace of arrests has slowed considerably, with federal prosecutors having only three years left until the statute of limitations expires for most Jan. 6 offenses.
“They had to justify their budget,” Mr. McBride told The Epoch Times. “January 6 is easy pickings. They’re easy convictions. The more convictions they have, the more money they can ask for. They’re trying to justify the rise in funding for their police state.”
Tucked into the Democrat’s 4,155-page $1.7 trillion government funding bill for fiscal year 2023 is an allocation for additional funds to prosecute Jan. 6 cases.
As shown in the summary by the House Appropriations Committee, the government has dedicated an extra $11.33 billion to fund efforts to investigate extremist violence and domestic terrorism, including $2.63 billion for U.S. attorneys prosecuting Jan. 6 defendants and prisoners.
The DOJ’s budget request for the FBI for fiscal year 2023 is $10,803.6 million, covering a significant number of positions, attorneys, and agents.
Expansion of Conservative Targets
Mr. Friend reveals that the Department of Justice is gradually expanding its focus on conservative targets.
In October 2020, the Department of Homeland Security expressed concern about white supremacist violent extremists. During a Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing, both Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas identified white supremacist groups as the most serious threat to domestic national security in the U.S.
During a hearing by the House Judiciary Committee’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that the FBI is not in the business of investigating or policing speech at school board meetings or elsewhere. However, Mr. Friend disputes Wray’s testimony, stating that the Joint Terrorism Task Force in his office did engage in such activities.
Mr. Friend highlights the Biden administration’s push against anti-government extremism and white supremacy, noting that Republicans have been identified as targets. He concludes by stating that it is not surprising, given these developments, that more Americans are questioning the actions and motives of the FBI.
Source: The Epoch Times
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