Trump's Feud With the FBI

As a retired federal agent (DEA), I am saddened by the President’s public feuding with the FBI. His latest tweet says that the FBI “is in tatters”. That may or may not be so, but I think it is unhelpful and unseemly fer any president to be making public statements like that.

Full disclosure. When I was a DEA agent, I had negative feelings about the FBI myself. It was a common sentiment among federal law enforcement agencies that the FBI did not work well with other agencies because they always wanted to be the leader and take credit for any successes that involved multiple agencies. When they became involved in drug investigations, that feeling increased among DEA agents in the field.

All that notwithstanding, I have been removed from all this since my retirement in 1995. Today, I compliment and support the FBI in the work they are doing in counter terrorism.

Last year, the FBI was placed in a unique and unenviable position during the presidential campaign that involved two candidates who came under FBI investigation. It was Trump and allegations that his campaign colluded with the Russians to influence the outcome and Hillary Clinton with her foundation, emails and all around obstruction of justice. The tarmac meeting between Bill Clinton and Loretta Lynch compounded the problem. In the end, under James Comey, Hillary escaped prosecution under the strangest of explanations. Her “interview” with the FBI shortly before Comey’s announcement of no charges was a joke by any standards. The blame for that properly falls on Comey and Lynch

Now we have President Trump, frustrated over the continuing investigation of his campaign and the lack of investigation into Hillary Clinton. But the FBI has no choice but to cooperate with Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller. In short, presidential tweets blasting the FBI are wrong.

The FBI is under a new director appointed by Trump himself, Christopher Wray. Has Trump lost faith in Wray already? Will he fire him as well?

Being a retired federal agent, I still have many law enforcement friends, both active and retired. I often heard that Mueller was unpopular among the FBI agents due to his imperious manner and perceived lack of concern for his agents. Comey was considered just the opposite and well liked. That feeling obviously took a hit when he announced there would be no charges against Clinton. His agents had worked hard and honorably to uncover the truth about Hillary. Then Comey told the world that no reasonable prosecutor would bring (their) case to court. What a slap in the face.

Clearly, morale at the FBI is not good, and that is a problem when you are talking about the lead agency tasked with  fighting terrorism. The president would do well to support his agencies. Let the FBI do its job.