My intention is not to inspire a political debate. Truthfully, this entire subject shouldn’t even be a partisan argument. So, as hard as it may be, I'm going to urge you to please try to refrain from being suckered into a dialogue of "lock her up" or "lock him up." In the end, that will not help us right now.
Just so we are all being honest with ourselves, in the last 12-months, both Democrats and Republicans have called for former FBI Director James Comey to be fired. Which, ultimately, is the entire festering problem that surrounds Comey and this whole problem.
Law enforcement and the criminal justice system should always be upheld as a non-partisan entity. Understandably, this ideal standard for criminal justice is more of a mythical fantasy than reality. In reality, the criminal justice system is an inherent a facet of public servitude. As such, the professions that comprise the three-tiered, all-encompassing, criminal justice system will always be at the mercy of those elected officials who are supposed to represent the public.
It doesn't matter if it is your local small town police department or the Federal Bureau of Investigation, law enforcement will always dangle at the ends of strings being pulled by political leaders. When you really consider it at its most basic existence, this environment is primed for corrupt political influence. Truthfully, when you consider how inner-twined police and politics really is, it can become rather frightening.
At the end of the day, James Comey's abrupt termination as the FBI's top agent serves as a jolting reminder of just how much politics can influence policing. It doesn't matter which sound bite you choose to believe, Comey was fired because he was getting too close to the truth in the FBI's probe into the President and Russia, or his mishandling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. Either reasoning lands flatly on the doorstep of politics.
The sad thing is, James Comey was considered by many to be a man of unimpeachable character. Just yesterday, acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said in a Senate hearing that the rank and file of the FBI had complete confidence and full support of their former boss. This was a sentiment that I had seen expressed to me in private conversations with individuals throughout the FBI’s organization back in 2015. However, 2016 would come along and with it came a volatile presidential election. An election that, we now know, had two presidential candidates, who both, in some capacity, being investigated by the FBI. As a result, James Comey would be thrown into an already very bloody political cage match.
There was some evidence back in 2016 that regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, Director Comey may have known he would face scrutiny. That same evidence also suggested Comey was indeed a “cop’s cop.” Starting in the spring of 2016, for the first time in many years, the FBI began accepting unsolicited applications for the position of Special Agent. Not only was the FBI hiring, but they were trying to process applicants a lightning speed. It was explicitly told to applicants that they were trying to get people hired and enrolled in the upcoming fall Special Agent academy in Quantico, Virginia.
To put this in perspective at how remarkable it is to see a Federal law enforcement agency move at such a rapid pace, I once applied to the Drug Enforcement Administration. When I got an email from the DEA saying, “congratulations you’ve been selected to proceed through the hiring process,” so many YEARS had passed, I had completely forgotten I once had applied with the agency altogether.
Ultimately, I have no evidence to support my belief, and it is only an opinion, however, it definitely seemed that even a year ago, Director Comey feared he wouldn’t survive the political battlefield. If so, he was trying to get as many resources for his agency, in the unfortunate event, his role as the FBI’s leader became a causality of partisan warfare. In the end, if there is any truth to that, Director Comey’s forecast of the future was absolutely correct.
Justice is supposed to be blind and absolute. It should be considered an almost, divinely inspired pursuit, that seeks to discover absolute truth. The fallibility of justice should only be limited by our mortal ability to understand the truth.
Sure, these congressional hearings or senate testimonies, make for good TV. However, there's no real justice going on within those historic chambers. Rather, it's just a dog and pony show, with politicians grilling people in order to praise or criticize them depending on how much their actions coincide with the inquisitor’s political affiliation. That isn't justice. Rather, it's an elaborate battle for future campaign sound bites.
Ultimately, I have to ask, where is our justice? Where is our system of solidly entrenched watchmen? Where are America's Watchmen? Because, the American people should have a justice system in place that gives them unwavering faith that, even a presidential candidate or president themselves, will face justice should they cross the threshold of criminal behavior. However, truthfully, can anyone say that we have that system? Can anyone say that America has an unbiased group of people, who’s character is beyond reproach, that we can trust to act as our guardians?
In the end, the majority of people solemnly have to hold their heads down and mutter, "no" to that question. It is for that reason, that I say, the time has come that we the people remember the most important thing about the United States of America. The most important thing it is time for everyone to remember is that our country is founded on the principle that there are a group of watchmen. More importantly, a group of people who are supposed to watch the watchmen.
That group of people is all of us, the people. So before we the people ever reach a point that we lose that power, let us stand as our own collection of bi-partisan individuals, and demand that America’s faith in justice is restored. If we don’t care enough, or do something, we may all one day face a country, where the only truth and the only justice we will have, is the truth and justice they want us to have. If that ever happens, we will have lost America, and in turn, we will represent something else entirely. I hope there are enough watchmen among us now, that will keep that from ever happening.
However, right now, if you haven't figured it out, it is up to us. We are the only watchmen we've got.