The need for serious reforms at the FBI and DOJ

Here is a Twitter Thread by Stu Cvrk.

Thread: Struck by Strzok

1. I am a retired naval officer and your basic law-and-order type guy. I try to follow the rules and instill the same in my family – and to a lesser extent in friends, colleagues and acquaintances.
2. I support law enforcement officers in general and have held the FBI in high esteem for years because I understand the importance of its missions and the overall character of its field agents. Great work ongoing on with human trafficking, MS-13, opioids, and anti-terrorism!
3. But I have to tell you, after watching former Deputy FBI Counter-Intelligence Division Peter Strzok’s prevarications, hubris and outright lying on display yesterday during his House Judiciary Committee “testimony,” I’ve got some SERIOUS concerns with FBI HQ.
4. Some of you may have caught my live tweeting of the tail end of yesterday’s dog and pony show. I’ve thought a lot about this in the intervening hours:


Stu Cvrk
@STUinSD
Strzok lying here (latter part):

1. Raskin (D-MD) tries to draw a parallel between Rep political insults of Trump during '16 with Strzok's anti-Trump tweets. Sorry, idiot Raskin, those people weren't FBI agents subject to the Hatch Act (which you violated).

5. I would have liked to have seen many more direct questions asked – and maybe they will be as implied by Chairman Goodlatte in his closing statement. That said, quite a bit was illuminated about Strzok the man by his statements, attitude, and body language (all bad!).
6. He was “affronted” by accusations about his lack of integrity, yet carried on an affair with a colleague. He continuously interrupted Republican congressmen. He twisted the reasons for anti-Trump texts through pretzel logic when the real meanings were obvious in context.
7. He continually denied bias in his investigatory efforts, yet here is what the DoJ Ethics Handbook for On and Off-Duty Conduct says about biases:

justice.gov/jmd/ethics-han…
7A. General Rule: You should avoid situations where your official actions affect or appear to affect your private interests, financial or NON-FINANCIAL.

[Strzok DIDN’T avoid situations – he sought them out (3 investigations).]
7B. Impartiality Standard: Generally, you should seek advice before participating in any matter in which your impartiality could be questioned.

[Strzok DIDN’T seek advice despite obvious partiality as expressed in his texts.]
7C. Remedies for Conflicts: If you have a financial conflict of interest or believe your impartiality might be questioned, you must either disqualify yourself from taking action that could affect your interest, or see your Deputy DAEO about the following alternatives.
7D. [Strzok DIDN’T discuss remedies for conflicts with anyone – were they all on the same sheet of paper at FBI HQ and DoJ regarding the Mid-Year Exam and Trump campaign counter-intel investigation? That nothing happened to Strzok is direct evidence of institutional corruption.]
8. And Strzok claims during his testimony to be “affronted” about being accused of lacking integrity and candor? Riiiiight. But now let’s examine his affair with Lisa Page as applicable to holding security clearances.
9. In order to be granted TS/SCI/SAP access, a person must have “strength of character, trustworthiness, honesty, reliability, discretion and sound judgment.” The affair with Lisa Page is a complete disqualifier! And not just on lack of character grounds.
10. The reason why affairs by clearance holders in particular are proscribed and reportable offenses is because they make the participants subject to blackmail and compromise.
11. When knowledge of Strzok’s affair with Lisa Page was first known, these actions should have been taken immediately:

a. Reassignment

b. Loss of clearances

c. Investigation leading to potential loss of employment
12. That these actions weren’t taken is still more evidence of institutional corruption. No one did ANYTHING about it! Remember that his internal FBI polygraph in 2016 was “out of scope” (meaning, he failed it). And yet he still wasn’t disciplined!

Yes, It’s True: Peter Strzok Failed His Polygraph Yet Retained Security Clearance and Position on Two Investigations…
I have been asked about this repeatedly: Validating Paul Sperry’s tweet. Yes, FBI Agent Peter Strzok failed his polygraph and his supervisors were notified on January 16th, 2016, his results…
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/07/06/yes-its-true-peter-strzok-failed-his-polygraph-yet-retained-security-clearance-and-position-on-two-investigations/
13. But of course the problems with Strzok were just the tip of the iceberg at the Obama FBI HQ and the DoJ. Think of what we’ve learned about the political corruption since Nov 16.

13A. Comey obstructed the email server investigation
13B. McCabe “lacking candor” (lying) and committing Hatch Act violations

13C. Strzok/Page remain in place with clearance despite clear violations of ethics guidelines

13D. Yates fired for cause

13E. Lynch-Clinton tarmac meeting not as advertised
13F. Extensive FBI connections to favored media (leaks)

13G. Rampant FISA abuse (illegal domestic spying)

13H. I am sure others can add to this list!
14. Anecdotally, it was even pointed out in the Conservative Twittersphere yesterday that Strzok’s body language and quirks when responding to tough questions was similar to Comey’s and Rosenstein’s. Are these people all cut from the same cloth?
15. More likely they hire and promote people like themselves: weasels, prevaricators, flawed-and-thereby-easily-manipulated, etc.
16. Without question, the senior leadership at FBI and DoJ during the Obama years willfully ignored internal ethics and conduct guidelines, standing presidential executive orders, and federal statutes. And something has GOT to be done about it!
17. And that something is a complete reorganization and re-purposing of FBI HQ and DoJ, including:

17A. New and strictly enforced statutes proscribing of HQ involvement in ongoing investigations (actionable if violated)
17B. Decentralization of HQ functions and considerable delegation of authority to regional Special Agents in Charge

17C. New and strictly enforced statutes against political corruption
17D. Significant strengthening of whistleblower statutes and protections against agency reprisals

17E. A truly independent IG established outside DoJ/IG empowered to monitor adherence to statutes and guidelines
18. Conclusion: Strzok gave us a window into political corruption & lack of application of DoJ/FBI guidelines to senior members of the department. Add the perfidy of the others previously exposed, & there is ample reason to implement and enforce some serious reforms! ///The end.