(Ezekiel Loseke, Headline USA) Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Tuesday told Newsmax that the only way to reform the FBI is to fire its members of the political class and bring on law enforcement officers, in yet another spat with the national security agencies.
Paul explained that the problem with the FBI is that it has been captured by swamp creatures.
“I think it’s swamp fever, Potomac fever,” he said. “The ones closest to the swamp have become infected with influence and power and politics,” he said. “It’s the political class up here that is corruptible and [has] become very left-wing…these are the people infiltrating the FBI at the highest levels.”
Paul was clear, he is not condemning law enforcement officers.
“I play golf with a retired FBI agent. He’s conservative,” he explained. “Most of the agents that I meet in the field are conservative,” he continued. “They [the conservative agents] are typical law enforcement kind of people.”
Paul suggested that the problem can only be solved by politics.
“We need a thorough cleaning,” he said. “It’s only going to happen if we get a president who gets rid of the top 10% and brings in some law enforcement people from out in Kansas or Kentucky or someplace,” he said.
“Let’s repopulate the FBI at the top with real law enforcement people, not politicians.”
This is not Paul’s first fight with the establishment in the intelligence agencies.
- Paul, when responding to Merrick Garland investigating parents seeking school reform, said Americans should “be afraid of your government,” because its top law enforcement officer is “criminalizing dissent.”
- Paul criticized advice given to President Trump by John Bolton regarding strikes on Iran. Bolton is a ‘conservative’ foreign policy hawk and an established figure in national security and international relations circles, according to Britanica.
- Paul has also proposed the destruction of the Espionage Act, one of the security state’s most frequently used tools.
Paul is joined by the Freedom Caucus in denouncing the behavior of the FBI and other intelligence agencies.
Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., a leader of the Freedom Caucus, tweeted out a similar message last week.
“We entrust our Department of Justice, FBI and intelligence community with great power to keep us safe,” he said. “And yet, as long as these agencies have existed they’ve violated American’s civil rights.”
