Don’t Defund The FBI – Change Its Leadership: My Broad + Liberty Piece On How The FBI Is Important To Maintaining Law And Order In America, Even If Change At The Top Is Desperately Needed.

 Broad + Liberty posted my piece on changing the leadership of the FBI, rather than defunding the federal law enforcement agency. 

You can read the piece via the below link or the below text:

 Paul Davis: Don’t defund the FBI – change its leadership (broadandliberty.com)

On March 29th, the Babylon Bee, a Christian satire and humor publication, offered a clever faux news piece that claimed the FBI pledged to commit their full resources to identify, isolate, and destroy whichever Christian beliefs were responsible for the brutal attack at a private Christian school that week.    

Although Christians are not generally known for satire and humor, the piece went on to offer a fake and funny quote from FBI Director Christopher Wray, “Our stated goal is to protect U.S. citizens from foreign and domestic terror threats, such as parents at school board meetings, pro-life demonstrators, and Christians who push innocent trans people toward violence by being mean-heads. I want a halt on all investigations until we figure what Christians did to deserve being attacked.”  

The Babylon Bee is not alone in thinking that the FBI has become “weaponized” by today’s leftist leadership in power. According to a Rasmussen survey last month, 50 percent of likely voters contacted in a national telephone and online survey have a favorable impression of the FBI, which includes 22 percent who have a very favorable impression of the federal law enforcement agency. Of those surveyed by Rasmussen, 45 percent view the FBI unfavorably, which includes 24 percent who have a very unfavorable impression.      

Former FBI special agent Nicole Parker testified on February 9th in front of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. She stated that the FBI has become “politically weaponized,” from the top leadership in Washington D.C. to the field offices. According to the Rasmussen poll, 64 percent agreed with that statement, including 44 percent who strongly agreed. Just 30 percent disagreed, including 17 percent who strongly disagreed.

To counter the weaponization, some are calling for the defunding of the FBI. Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), angry at the indictment of former president Trump, noted on Fox News that the Republicans now controlling the House would look at defunding the Justice Department and the FBI.

“We control the power of the purse, and we’re gonna have to look at the appropriations process and limit funds going to some of these agencies, particularly the ones who are engaged in the most egregious behavior.”

Jordan mentioned several incidents in which he claimed the Justice Department and the FBI interfered against Trump and the Republicans.

“2016, they spied on his campaign,” Jordan said. “2018, the Mueller investigation. 2020, they suppressed the Hunter Biden story. 2022, they raid his home 91 days before an election. And now, the leading candidate for President of the United States in the 2024 election, they indict the former president and top candidate who’s leading in every poll. Just let we the people decide we wanna elect, and stay out of the election process, for goodness sake!”

Trump has also come out for defunding the FBI. But Trump’s vice president disagrees. Last August, after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago looking for classified documents, Mike Pence advised Republicans to stop attacking the FBI.     

“The Republican Party is the party of law and order,” Pence noted. “And these attacks on the FBI must stop; calls to defund the FBI are just as wrong as calls to defund the police.”

Pence stated that Republicans should hold Attorney General Merrick Garland accountable and not attack the FBI’s rank-and-file agents. 

I agree. 

As a law-and-order conservative, I think that the top leadership of the FBI should be given the sack, allowing new apolitical law enforcement officials to take the reins of the world’s most premier law enforcement agency. 

J. Edgar Hoover, despite his flawed character and abuses of power as the first and longest-serving director of the FBI, created the world’s finest and foremost law enforcement agency. In years past, the professionalism of the FBI was the gold standard for the world’s police agencies. Many of the world’s finest police officers have been trained by the FBI. I know several police officers who are most proud of having been trained at the FBI Academy.   

I’ve covered the FBI for many years as a crime reporter and columnist. Several times over the years, I’ve interviewed Joseph Pistone, AKA “Donnie Brasco,” the legendary undercover FBI agent who infiltrated the Bonanno Cosa Nostra crime family in New York City. I’ve also interviewed criminal profiler John Douglas, another legendary FBI agent, as well as senior officials at FBI headquarters and street agents in Philadelphia. All of them were dedicated and apolitical law enforcement officers.

The former and active FBI special agents that I’ve spoken to recently disagree vehemently with the current leadership of the FBI. Most want to see a large broom sweep out the political activists in the top ranks of the FBI. Most want to see the FBI go after criminals, spies, terrorists, and other threats to Americans, and not engage in petty party politics.        

Paul Davis is a Philadelphia writer who covers crime.