Stop the Politicization of Intelligence

The purpose of America’s intelligence community is to protect America from threats, both foreign and domestic, to our constitution.

Every person who enters government service, including our military, the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, the DIA takes an oath. All of them are identical or similar to this language:

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

 Members of Congress take a similar oath.

Unfortunately, what we have seen in recent years is that some members of our bureaucratized intelligence apparatus, and one member of Congress in particular, have abused and even violated that oath by allowing politics to infect the leadership of the intelligence community that is supposed to keep watch for us:

• Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (2013-2017) John Brennan led a charge of Leftist vitriol and innuendo against the president of the United States on television and in social media, making unfounded accusations about “Russian collusion” and making personal attacks on President Trump.

This behavior was and remains unprecedented in the history of CIA directors and former CIA directors and its timing suggests, along with information brought to light by Senator Rand Paul, that Brennan laid the groundwork for his political attacks on the president while he was still serving as CIA director.

• Former Deputy Director of the FBI (2016-2018), Andrew McCabe was fired for leaking information to the media and lying to fellow FBI agents. Testimony before congress strongly suggests that McCabe was heavily involved in discussions to target President Trump based on the Russian collusion meme.

• Peter Strzok, former Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division, took part in Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation into the Russia collusion story, but was forced to resign in disgrace after it was discovered that Strzok was exchanging text messages attacking President Trump with FBI lawyer Lisa Page, with whom Strzok was having an extramarital affair.

These disgraceful examples suggest a crippling politicization of the leadership of America’s domestic and foreign intelligence infrastructure. The shameful attacks and behavior by these people who took an oath to uphold and defend the constitution are something that a free society simply cannot tolerate.

And all of these people rose to leadership positions under the Obama administration, again suggesting that the politicization of the FBI and CIA was a result of policy and not an accident.

But perhaps the worst, most damaging example of the politicization of America’s intelligence community comes in the form of Congressman Adam Schiff-D Calif., the chair of the House Intelligence Committee who, despite the conclusions of the 2-year, $30 million investigation into the Russia collusion story, has insisted that he will use his power as committee chair to continue to investigate this discredited story (hoax is not too strong of a term).

Schiff’s pledge to continue forcing the country to wallow in this mud must be taken in the context of probable leaks coming from Schiff’s office during the special counsel investigation that inflamed the situation.

It is impossible not to conclude that Schiff’s motivation is purely political, to keep the false accusations and innuendos alive heading into the 2020 presidential race. As such, Schiff is unfit for the office which he now holds.

He must resign as chair of the House Intelligence Committee so that the country can proceed with the business of reforming our shamefully politicized intelligence apparatus.