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| Government Corruption |
| Journalist Lee Stranahan discovers he was a target, tells how FBI spied on Kash Patel for 5 years while acting as lawyer for House Intelligence Committee |
| 2024-12-14 |
| Lee Stranahan, from X post today: I Take This Personally In a democracy, the press should never have to fear becoming the target of government overreach. Yet, I've found myself at the center of one of the most unsettling revelations about how the federal government operates (SNIP) At the end of 2018, as Democrats prepared to take control of the House, the Intelligence Committee released a report critiquing how Republicans handled the Russia investigation. When someone pointed out that my name appeared in the report, I was blindsided. It alleged I had ignored a request from the committee in May 2017 and suggested issuing a subpoena against me. The problem? I never saw the request. What I initially dismissed as an administrative hiccup became a sobering reality. After digging through my spam folder, I discovered the email from Congress buried there. This was not a story of missed communication but a small glimpse into a much larger problem: the ease with which even reporter - those tasked with holding the government accountable - can become ensnared in bureaucratic strong-arming. When I reached out to the committee to clear things up, I was lucky. Kash Patel, a senior staffer at the time, approached the situation with professionalism. Once I explained the misunderstanding, he assured me there was no need for a subpoena. But this was a brush with the kind of overreach that can destroy reputations and careers. And as the New York Post recently revealed, Kash Patel himself was a target of far worse. Let's hope he gets in where Trump has nominated -- DON'T LOOK AT fake UFOs. DEFEND AND PUSH IN TRUMP's TEAM For five years, the FBI spied on Patel. A lawyer for the House Intelligence Committee, Patel had been leading an investigation into abuses of power within the FBI's Trump-Russia probe. But instead of respecting the boundaries of his role, the FBI went after him with secret subpoenas, even misleading judges about his actions. His communications with whistleblowers and witnesses were monitored - an unprecedented intrusion into the work of a congressional investigator. Patel's ordeal is horrifying. It should send chills down the spine of anyone who believes in checks and balances, and for me, it resonates on a personal level. If a congressional lawyer tasked with investigating FBI misconduct can be targeted, what chance does an independent reporter like me have? The Inspector General's report reveals just how broken the system is, exposing a pattern of deception and abuse that extends far beyond Patel's case. As I argue in my book, these tactics are not new. The FBI's domestic overreach today mirrors the kind of morally dubious strategies the CIA once employed during the Cold War - short-term gains at the expense of long-term trust. So yes, I take this personally. Being called before Congress to reveal my documents was a wake-up call. It was a stark reminder that the work I do - asking questions, uncovering truths, holding power to account - makes me vulnerable. And the fact that people like Kash Patel, who fight from within the system, are being targeted with such ferocity should alarm us all. Patel vows to reform the FBI, to root out the systemic abuses that corrode public trust. His resolve gives me hope, but it also underscores the stakes. This is a fight for accountability and transparency, for the survival of our democracy. And it's a fight I take very, very personally. |
| Posted by:anon1 |
| #4 Of course the FBI spyed on the likely incoming FBI chief. They spy on all of them. If you don't think they spy on each other, you don't know how the secret police operates. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2024-12-14 14:03 |
| #3 What they did was illegal. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2024-12-14 10:39 |
| #2 Federalist - Wray’s Resignation Won’t Undo Trauma His FBI Foot Soldiers Caused Innocent Families |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2024-12-14 08:51 |
| #1 The FBI's domestic overreach today mirrors the kind of morally dubious strategies the CIA once employed during the Cold War - short-term gains at the expense of long-term trust. That is because it is foking identical. Exective Order (EO) 12333 prohibits the Agency from collecting on US Persons (other than incidental collection). The FBI operates under no such prohibition and of course they share. 'Five Eyes' sharing is yet another example. The terms "sharing" and "tasking" can sometimes be difficult to sort out. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2024-12-14 08:01 |