Absent of anything else going on, this memo would seem innocuous. However, when you consider that at least 20 FBI whistleblowers from the FBI have approached both the house and senate in the past several weeks, this memo takes on a new meaning.
According to the memo sent internally by AG Merrick Garland, he is reminding everyone in the DOJ/FBI about the restrictions against talking to congress. [SOURCE]
The internal citations take you to Justice Manual, Section 1, Title 800: “Congressional and White House Relations” [LINK]
1-8.200 “Except as provided in this chapter, no Department employee may communicate with Senators, Representatives, congressional committees, or congressional staff without advance coordination, consultation, and approval by the Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA). All congressional inquiries and correspondence from Members, committees, and staff should be immediately directed to OLA upon receipt.” [LINK]
Make of the timing what you will; however, if you have followed the political corruption within Main Justice and the FBI, the intent of the memo seems pretty clear. A warning to those who might consider trying to escape the clutches of a comprehensively corrupt institution. Or as Senator Chuck Grassley recently stated:
“If these allegations are true and accurate, the Justice Department and FBI are – and have been – institutionally corrupted to their very core to the point in which the United States Congress and the American people will have no confidence in the equal application of the law. Attorney General Garland and Director Wray, simply put, based on the allegations that I’ve received from numerous whistleblowers, you have systemic and existential problems within your agencies.” (LINK)
So if your an FBI agent who wants to blow the whistle on your boss you need to get their approval first.
Recall the Ukraine “whistleblower”. He was praised for not going through the chain of command. Remember the DOD whistleblower who exposed the millions paid to Halperin to set up Flynn, Page and Papadapolous who was fired and his records seized.
Maybe he should also advise former FBI employees (who seem to still be clinging to the organization) to not threaten other people?
Garland makes this move to hem in whistleblowers and more easily ID them. Anyone discovered to be in contact with Congress or even congressional staff is on notice they could be fired OR they have to fess up to being whistleblowers. Makes it much more precarious for a potential whistleblower to figure out how to communicate with Congress without getting caught. Wonder if Garland is tapping all suspect agents’ phones. It must be eating Garland up not knowing who inside his organization may be a whistleblower or potential whistleblower. Anyway that’s my 2 cents worth.
“I am Spartacus,…. No, I am Spartacus,…. and I am Spartacus!”
Clearly if an FBI employee’s son or wife approached a senator what can Garland do?
Anyone who doesn’t uphold the First Amendment is not fit to hold public office. Free Speech, much Herr Garland? Maybe you should be a better boss and run the agency with better values.
Didn’t Dementia Joe say something about <a href=”https://thehill.com/homenews/media/560513-wapost-gives-biden-four-pinocchios-for-saying-second-amendment-bans-cannon/” target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>the Second Amendment and cannon ownership</a>? And <a href=”https://www.newsweek.com/zuckerberg-hunter-biden-facebook-fbiwhat-we-do-know-what-we-dont-1737449″ target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>given what we know about the FBI pressuring social media to suppress conservative thought</a> and the DHS ongoing efforts in “misinformation suppression,” what else would we expect?
I plan to vote harder and wait to hear from Qanon
Troll
Checks and balances?? We don’t need no stinkin’ checks and balances!!!
But leaking disinformation to the media is still SOP.
When the leaks hurt the Trump team, the FBI is in the middle of the land of leaks. But when the leaks expose the illegalities going on by Democrats within the Freaking Bunch of Idiots, then Merrick (glad he’s not a Justice) Garland wants everyone tight-lipped.
I thought you had extra protection under the law as a ” whistleblower” . I seem to remember a fella that didn’t exist by the name of Eric C.??
I wanna see merrick garland cry like a little girl again the way he did when he was nominated for supreme court justice.
Only this time I wanna see it happen when he’s finally arrested and dragged away in chains for the crimes he’s perpetrated against us all.
When I read of this early this morning, two prayers came to mind:
First, I prayed a prayer of thanksgiving that Garland never made it onto the Supreme Court. If he can oversee a convoluted attack on a future opponent of the currently-installed occupant of the Oval Office, then he would certainly twist the Constitution beyond recognition.
Second, I prayed Psalm 109:8.
Let’s see, the separation of powers implied by the framers has Congress as the watchdog for the Executive Branch, and the judiciary as the watchdog on Congress, and the Executive branch along with Congress as the watchdog on the judiciary. The policy is flat out unconstitutional.
Well, I suppose Garland need not be nominated for any future opening that requires Senate approval.
The effect will be quite different. This separates the mildly annoying revelations from the serious ones. Those with more minor issues will be more likely to hold back, but those with big guns may see this as further evidence of its necessity. In the end, it makes the more serious accusations more likely and forces people to do it quickly and more carefully.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/7211
The right of employees, individually or collectively, to petition Congress or a Member of Congress , or to furnish information to either House of Congress , or to a committee or Member thereof, may not be interfered with or denied.
As far as I know, FBI agents are government employees.
Ah, how sad Wittle Boy Mewwick is WORRIED. Good. He should be. Come on you FBI, and for that matter we should be having TONS of whistleblowers come out of the woodwork.
I love it. This is a declaration of cover up.
He wants every living soul affiliated with Trump to testify but not his whistle blowers.
This folks is what obstruction of justice looks like
Did Garland break the law?
es. Members of the intelligence community are covered under the Intelligence Community Whistleblower Protection Act of 1998, as well as the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 and Presidential Directive 19. You can learn more about those protections here . FBI whistleblowers are protected from reprisals for making a protected disclosures under U.S. Code § 2303 as well as the FBI Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2016. You can learn more about those protections here. In general, intelligence community and FBI whistleblower protections are weaker than those offered to other federal whistleblowers, with fewer remedies for retaliation.”
https://www.whistleblowers.org/faq/whistleblower-protection-act-faq/#:~:text=The%20Whistleblower%20Protection%20Act%20protects,and%20specific%20danger%20to%20public
In a way it’s hard to fault him for this. He’s showing Congress the contempt they so richly deserve.
Dissolve them already.
Since the Clinton administration our agencies have been degraded, although to be fair, Bush was responsible for Ruby Ridge and the IRS has been abused since FDR.