There’s a bit more to this controversy about the proposed release of the Nunes memo. To recap, the DoJ and the FBI have protested that releasing this memo “… about the FBI’s surveillance practices omits key information that could impact its veracity.” And more, from CNN:
“With regard to the House Intelligence Committee’s memorandum, the FBI was provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it,” the FBI said in a statement. “As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.”
And who’s protesting? FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Trump appointee Christopher Wray.
So what we’re seeing here, besides another attempt to discredit and damage one of the very security agencies which are responsible for keeping us safe, is a case of Trump’s appointee not acting with complete loyalty to the President. This, of course, is how it should be – these agencies must be carefully independent from the President in case he’s not a trustworthy man.
Will we see Director Wray fired next? Who will the next director be, Trump’s favorite janitor? This would be in line with his tendency to appoint and promote the obviously unprepared and incompetent. In fact, his appointee to lead the Centers for Disease Control, Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, just resigned under pressure after investing in companies over whose test results she has control, a conflict of interest – and monumentally stupid. Add in fringe medical ideas, and she qualifies as having all the qualities of a Trump appointee. It’s a badge of shame, in fact. Incompetent, holding unsupported fringe notions – qualities not desirable in government leaders.
But back to the major point, which is this: there are many men and women who understand the importance of honor, and the importance of properly helming the agencies in which they work and manage. Trump appears to be discovering that not all of his appointees are going to drop and give him 20 everytime he raises a finger. AG Jeff Sessions gave him a taste of that when he recused himself from the Russia investigation, opening the door for Deputy AG Rosenstein to appoint Mueller, another man to prove his loyalty to the country.
And now it appears FBI Director Wray also has some understanding of how this all should work. The question is whether he can save the FBI from irreversible damage just because Trump and the GOP feel threatened.
And what can we expect? I don’t think the GOP’s going to back down, so the memo will be released. Will the FBI issue a correction? There is also a Democratic memo, which criticizes the Nunes memo – it’s not authorized to be released, as the GOP refused to permit that. Are we going to see a leak of that memo? And how can that be done to soften up the GOP base, rather than have it portrayed as just Democratic meddling or, even, treachery? Properly speaking, the release of the Nunes memo should in itself constitute treachery if it has classified material in it that can be used by adversaries to hurt us more – say, by revealing how we collect information.
But this is Trump. If it benefits him, he’ll do it. There’s no self-sacrifice in this man, no understanding that his role is to benefit the American nation. He doesn’t have that big a soul. And so we’ll just have to watch and wait for Speaker Ryan to grow a pair.
