Comey had ‘false and dangerous view’ of FBI role

 

Whatever parts of Comey’s testimony you believe were the high points, what did become crystal clear was his dangerous view of the Department as this totally independent agency accountable to no one. We found what could happen with this view in one J. Edgar Hoover. I caught the WSJ piece before it went behind the pay wall and was a well written piece. The testimony bore out yesterday the concerns expressed. The Examiner picks up the thread here:

The right-leaning Wall Street Journal editorial board hit former FBI Director James Comey for having a “false and dangerous view” of how the agency is expected to function in a democracy.

In an editorial published Wednesday night, just hours ahead of Comey’s highly anticipated testimony before Congress, the Journal said that his testimony, released earlier in the day, suggests he believes the FBI should act as an unchecked authority in law enforcement, and that Comey didn’t seem interested in discussing any of the issues before him with any elected or appointed officials.

“The most troubling part of Mr. Comey’s statement is his belief in what he calls ‘the FBI’s traditionally independent status in the executive branch,’ which he invokes more than once,” the paper said. “Independent? This is a false and dangerous view of law enforcement in the American system. Mr. Comey is describing a FBI director who essentially answers to no one. But the police powers of the government are awesome and often abused, and the only way to prevent or correct abuses is to report to elected officials who are accountable to voters.” More at Washington Examiner

Interview with Robert F. Kennedy during which he describes FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover as “dangerous” and “rather a psycho”