An FBI agent quits … the Post vs the GOP … experiencing a disgrace … Leon Panetta’s advice … McCain and Flake disappoint, again

Here are my observations on the news of the day.

SO LONG, JOSH – You just knew it was going to happen. The media would tell us that the Republican majority leading House and Senate oversight committees are out to ruin our institutions, like the DOJ and FBI, and are using the House Intel Memo to do so.

The left-leaning New York Times provided Josh Campbell with an opportunity to publish his concerns in an op-ed on February 2, 2018. “Why I Am Leaving the F.B.I.”

Deep down, Campbell knows that a group of high-level FBI people have damaged the agency’s reputation by politicizing it, but he says, ”Scorched-earth attacks from politicians with partisan goals now threaten its support, raising corrosive doubts about the integrity of the F.B.I. that could last for generations.”

While Campbell refers to the “cringe-worthy text messages” of agents Peter Strzok and Lisa Page merely as “allegations of political bias,” he seems to be willing to accept that they were at least guilty of ”exercising incredibly poor judgement,” while adding that it would be disingenuous to insinuate that the organization is plotting from within.”

In fact, there was anti-Trump plotting from within among Obama administration deep state high-level individuals in the FBI and DOJ; the names have become all too familiar – Comey, Weissman, McCabe, Baker, Strzok, Page, Yates, Silverstein, and Ohr.

Campbell is quick to defend the FBI’s partisan tactics, which were obviously part of a conspiracy to bring down the Trump presidency. What was Strzok referring to when he wrote of the need of an “insurance policy” should Trump win?

“The FBI became a tool of anti-Trump political actors,” the Wall Street Journal editorial board believes, “This is unacceptable in a democracy and ought to alarm anyone who wants the FBI to be a nonpartisan enforcer of the law.”

The naïve Campbell wrote of his concern for the F.B.I. agent on the street “who will be most severely affected,” but if he were honest with himself, he would admit the damage to the agency’s reputation was primarily self-inflicted by those at the top.

Campbell recalls receiving his special agent badge from then FBI Director Robert Mueller some ten years ago as one of the greatest honors of his life. Though he swore an oath that “entrusted (him) with the solemn duty of protecting Americans and upholding the Constitution,” he was quick to ignore its meaningfulness and quit. Some loyalty. Hopefully, his colleagues will have the character to stay on to help restore the agency’s integrity.

THE POST – I find it interesting that The Washington Post is still vainly trying to hang onto its anti-party in power position, made known through its investigative roles on Watergate and the Pentagon Papers. The Post editorial board admonished House Speaker Paul Ryan for the release of the House Intel Memo, saying “Mr. Ryan bears full responsibility for the deterioration of congressional oversight of intelligence operations.”

In doing so, The Post chooses to ignore the fact that the intelligence community has been intentionally stonewalling the House Intelligence Committee for nearly a year, but accuses House Republicans for “poisoning the committee’s relationship with the intelligence community.”

Meanwhile, the Post provided op-ed space to Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking minority member, who chose to accuse Republicans for cherry-picking facts and smearing the FBI and DOJ.

Should you be wondering why the Post isn’t lauding the findings of FBI misdeeds, I remind you that the paper hired 20 journalists last year to dig for dirt on Trump in its effort to bring down his presidency. There will be no good news from the Post.

PRESIDENT TRUMP, in a tweet yesterday, cited the partisan attack on his administration as “an American disgrace.” Looking back, I recall regular attacks on George W. Bush, likewise on Barack Obama, but what we are seeing with the anti-Trump onslaught by Obama-Clinton holdovers in the DOJ and FBI is unprecedented.

MY IRE IS RAISED every time I hear a Democrat asked how he or she would advise President Trump. Usually the question is asked of a so-called Democrat strategist, who couldn’t even find the Oval Office.

Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Leon Panetta, who held several top administration positions under Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, was asked by Chris Wallace what advice he would give President Trump if he were his chief of staff.

When Panetta said the president should spend less time tweeting and concentrate on important matters like the infrastructure, I darned near came up out of my chair. President Trump puts in 12 to 16-hour days on a wide-range of issues, meeting with people, insiders and outsiders. I would be surprised if he spent 15 minutes a day on tweeting. Some advice.

SPEAKING OF TWEETS – My RINO Senator, John McCain, felt the need to interject his opinion on the release of the House Intel Memo, tweeting, “The latest attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice serve no American interests – no party’s, no president’s only Putin’s”

Really, Senator? It is most definitely in the interest of the American public, our party and President Trump to know about the politicization of the FBI and DOJ, revealing how holdovers from prior administrations are attempting to bring down a duly elected president.

THE FLAKE – My other Senator, Jeff Flake, joined with the lefty Senator from Delaware, Chris Coons, to urge the president not to approve the release of the House Intel Memo.

“The president’s apparent willingness to release this memo risks undermining U.S. intelligence gathering efforts, politicizing Congress’ oversight role, and eroding confidence in our institutions of government,” the senators said in a joint statement.

Smarter people than Flake assured us that the memo did not undermine our intelligence gathering efforts. That would be treasonous. Regarding Flake’s charge that the release of the memo risks “politicizing Congress’ oversight role,” indicates a naivete of the House and Senate committee functions. Surely, he knows the oversight committees are controlled by the party in power.

Then there’s Flake’s belief that release of the memo risks “eroding confidence in our institutions of government (the FBI and DOJ). Certainly, he must recognize that the two law enforcement agencies have already self-inflicted that loss of confidence. Flake and Coons obviously didn’t stop and think before issuing their statements?

Incidentally, I expect Flake will not support the president’s immigration agenda in the weeks ahead.