In a move that is sure to be a relief to officials contemplating future malfeasance, FBI director Kash Patel disbanded the agency’s public-corruption team. Known internally as “CR15,” the squad has been tackling some of America’s most-notorious cases—including those involving Donald Trump himself. From Steve Benen at MaddowBlog, reporting on a piece by The New York Times:
The Times’ report, which has been independently verified by NBC News, added that the moves are some of Kash Patel’s ‘most drastic to date,’ adding that the demise of the public corruption squad, known internally as CR15, could ‘reduce the bureau’s capacity to fulfill one of its core missions: leading major investigations into public corruption cases.’
via Steve Benen, MaddowBlog
Patel is no stranger to dramatic “personnel moves.” The now-FBI head—sort of a roving, multi-function operative during Trump’s desperate attempt to stay in power after losing to Joe Biden in 2020—ousted the Bureau’s head of NY Field Office after he resisted attempts by Trump operatives to erase a January 6th probe.
Patel’s move is nearly identical to Pam Bondi‘s a few months ago, in which the Department of Justice also reduced the size and bandwidth of its public-corruption unit.
AUTHOR FOOTNOTE
Pulling back to 33,000 feet, this operation is what I like to call the “No cops, no problems” scheme. In that bucket, one could also include, for example, the holy fatwa Donald and his minions declared on Inspectors General from his first regime.
The anti-oversight sentiment has been broadly shared by Donald’s comrades in congress as well. You might recall a number of Senate Republicans’ naked attempts to smear the FBI in 2020, which had the appearance (at least to my eye) of being coordinated. That smear campaign, by the way, came mere months after the Senate GOP-crafted report stated Trump “won” in 2016 by conspiring with Russia.
Then again, mixed-messages tend to happen when an entire party has sold its soul to the Kremlin (see Greg Olear’s famous piece linked below) but still wants the appearance of “nationalism.” Good general question to be asking yourselves is this: “If the Kremlin were controlling the White House’s decisions, how would any of this happen differently?”
Disbanding public-corruption policing in federal government is itself public corruption.
SOURCES
- Steve Benen at MaddowBlog
- Associated Press
- Greg Olear’s Prevail: “Fourth of July Traitors“
