Street Smart

The past two weeks have been pretty crazy in Washington, D.C.! Previously classified documents were declassified and released. Other documents that were never meant to see the light of day were discovered. Collectively, these documents have revealed a pattern of conduct, by a certain group in Washington, D.C., that should disturb all Americans… regardless of political affiliation.

It’s impossible to discuss all of this in the space allowed so I’m going to summarize the best I can while issuing a challenge to all readers. I’ll provide information taken from real documents that were just recently released or discovered. All of the information is available for review online. The challenge? Set your political ideology and any bias aside. Put it on a shelf and give serious consideration to the information and come to your own conclusions based on the facts.

Two weeks ago, the Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed the prosecution of former National Security Adviser, Retired General Mike Flynn. I’ve always thought there was something odd about this particular case, but released documents and circumstances surrounding the investigation revealed this to be much more sinister than “odd.” Several facts support my opinion. An uncovered note revealed that FBI leadership had this question prior to General Flynn’s interview. “What’s our goal? Truth/admission or to get him to lie, so we can prosecute him or get him fired?” I find it disturbing that the FBI had initiated a “results oriented investigation” (in layman’s terms, a “We know the outcome we want, now how do we get there?” investigation. Sadly, this is not an uncommon occurrence). General Flynn submitted to this interview without legal representation. Why? Simple. He didn’t have any reason to believe he was under investigation and the FBI didn’t inform him that he was a suspect. He was never Mirandized and his interview was not recorded.

The original document (FBI form 302) memorializing General Flynn’s interview is “missing.” How does this happen? This wasn’t a petty theft investigation involving “Joe Citizen!” This was the National Security Adviser. Experienced investigators are trained to maintain all notes and relative documents in a case folder. This document wasn’t lost! It was hidden or destroyed. The law the FBI was looking at was the Logan Act. Look up the Logan Act. This is a law from 1799! It has been applied twice and never successfully prosecuted.

Most scholars agree that this law is unconstitutional and that any successful prosecution in a lower court would ultimately be overturned. Bottom line…the FBI was reaching. Investigators initially stated they did not believe Flynn was lying. We’d know more about this if the original 302 had not been “lost,” but recently released documents support this statement as well. What would a recording of this interview tell us? General Flynn ultimately agreed to plead guilty to lying to the FBI.

A lot of people are hanging their hat on this one believing it to be proof that General Flynn was culpable. However, think about it. There are three people who know how this interview played out, General Flynn and the two FBI agents. A classic “he said, he said.” How could General Flynn possibly defend himself in this instance? Strozk (one of the agents involved in General Flynn’s interview) was ultimately terminated. This is significant and the reader should take the time to review the circumstances surrounding his firing. There were clearly integrity issues with this agent. Termination is a pretty extreme outcome when suspensions are an option. The DOJ moved to dismiss the case because of prosecutorial misconduct. Now the judge in the case is dragging his feet and challenging the DOJ decision. It’s unheard of to have a judge attempt to subvert an investigation when the prosecuting entity drops a case! However… here we are.

Next, read the recently released transcripts from House Intelligence Committee hearings into Russian collusion from January of 2017. You’ll find that not one of the people who testified was able to provide evidence of collusion. However, many of these same people went public with claims that they had clear evidence implicating President Trump and his campaign! How does this happen? Again…simple. It’s a crime to lie under oath to a congressional committee. It is not illegal to lie to the American people. These people put this country through three years of the Mueller Investigation, while knowing all along there was no evidence. Think about that when considering some of these people’s suitability for public office.

I’ve made it pretty obvious in past columns that I’m a conservative guy and support President Trump. That said, I’ve also made it quite clear that, at the end of the day, the truth of the matter (any matter) is all that really counts. Winston Churchill said, “The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” I believe those words to be accurate.

I’ve said too that all of us should think critically and not rely on any one source for information. Unfortunately, we have to dig for the truth. Don’t just browse headlines and believe that you’ve been accurately informed about a topic. Instead, read articles and look for clues that will lead you to real source information. If you read an article quoting “a source close to the investigation,” “a source who requested anonymity because he/she was not authorized to discuss the topic,” etc., remember what you read, but seek information that can corroborate what was reported. Anytime you have access to a real source document, take the time to read it before forming an opinion. Think critically! This is no longer a matter of different political ideologies. Washington Democrats have gone to gutter politics and crossed a very significant line. All Americans should be outraged!

Blaine Blackstone is a retired Los Angeles Police Sergeant who enjoys the simpler life in Thompson Falls. He can be reached by email at [email protected].