Commentary

“Anytime there’s an attack, especially one that’s this horrific that strikes right at the heart of our system of government right at the time a transfer of power is being discussed, you can be darn tootin’ that we are focused very, very hard on how we can get better sources, better information, better analysis so that we can make sure that something like what happened on Jan. 6 never happens again.” – Christopher Wray, March 2, 2021

I have never been an admirer of FBI Director Christopher Wray, and was puzzled when he became President Trump’s choice to lead the agency.  Worried that Trump would weaken or politicize the FBI, Wray was considered a safe, mainstream pick.

Since his June 2017 appointment his judgement has been challenged a number of times.  His remark, above, brought to mind the customary words of the cowboy western character Gabby Hayes.  Not what you would expect from the head of the highest law enforcement agency in the land.

I recalled, too, Wray’s early comments about restoring the FBI’s reputation, post Jim Comey, with internal training, His response was weak, hardly inspiring.

Just as details emerged about the FBI informant involvement in the kidnapping plot against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, we are now learning about the role of FBI informants in the attempt to implicate the so-called “Proud Boys” in the Capitol riot.

What we are learning now is that on the eve of the riot, an informant said that they had no plans to engage in violence the next day except to defend itself from potential assaults by leftist activists.  Also, the “Proud Boys” had no advance plan to enter the Capitol and disrupt the election certification.

During his March testimony, Wray appeared to dismiss Sen. Charles Grassley’s reference to the riot that caused considerable damage to the Federal Courthouse in Portland, Oregon while federal law enforcement officers were inside, simply remarking that “if it violates federal law, we’re coming after it.”

If, in fact, the FBI learns from these events, as Wray said, it seems they didn’t learn much from the July 2020 Portland riots to prepare them for the January 6, 2021 protest.  Questions remain about the preparedness of law enforcement at the Capitol.

While the vivid memory of Molotov cocktails being hurled at the Federal Courthouse in Portland, we can now view videos of peaceful protestors walking the halls of the Capitol waving flags.

Meanwhile, Pelosi & Company continue to build the January 6 “unarmed insurrection” of the Capitol into an event aimed to defame Trump and his supporters as we approach the midterms.

In the Deep State

Not forgotten is the role of the FBI in its effort to spy on President Trump as the tale of his colluding with the Russians was fabricated in the infamous Steele dossier.

Former FBI lawyer James Baker is a key figure in the John Durham indictment against Michael Sussmann, once a lawyer for the Democrat-linked firm Perkins Coie.  On October 29, 2017, I noted here that $992,000 had been funneled to Fusion GPS through Perkins Coie.

Citing this case and several other FBI missteps, Holman W. Jenkins, Jr. suggests, “Abolish the FBI,” in his Wall Street Journal column.

Now, more than ever … may God continue to bless the United States of America.