A sizeable percentage of FBI employees felt sympathetic to those who stormed the Capitol

[muriel_volestrangler]

That's a FBI email.

Link to tweet

I literally had to explain to an agent from a "blue state" office the difference between opportunists burning & looting during protests that stemmed legitimate grievance to police brutality vs. an insurgent mob whose purpose was to prevent the execution of democratic processes at the behest of a sitting president. One is a smattering of criminals, the other is an organized group of domestic terrorists.

I was talking to an A/SSA in a "red state" office who was telling me that over 70% of his CT squad + roughly 75% of the agent population in his office, disagreed with the violence "but could understand where the frustration was coming from" which led to the "protestors getting carried away”.

An analyst in "purple state" described watching horrified as the events were unfolding on the news, while several co-workers chalked up the insurgency as a "response to everyone being quarantined at home for months and more on edge, because so many lost their jobs and lack steady income because of COVID."

[uponit7771]

1. omfg

[sop]

2. After all, they're just cops.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

21. Literally one email containing hearsay on hearsay! Proof of nothing! Ppl, please weigh the facts,

there is no conclusion to be had.

70% cause one guy heard from another one guy…?? Conclusive!??

What happened to liberals preferring evidence over fantasy?

[reACTIONary]

24. +100 nt

[CivicGrief]

54. Sorry, but this sounds believable.

I knew a handful of cops growing up, and all but one were right-wing douchebags. To ignore that law enforcement predominantly draws people of a particular mindset is naive. The way J6 went down suggests there had to be insiders involved, and the cover-up afterwards conforms it. If this was a group of people not aligned with white supremacy and Republican "values," they would never have gotten near the Capitol, let alone breach it. Are you denying that or just this one email?

[Scrivener7]

63. There IS a "conclusion to be had" though.

This is someone who was high enough in the FBI hierarchy that he addresses the Deputy Director of the FBI as "hello, Paul." And Paul responds and thanks him for his observations within an hour.

The "conclusion to be had" is that this reported danger is worth looking into, and insurrectionist tendencies among FBI agents, if (when) found, should be addressed.

Given what we have learned since 1/6, that conclusion should have been drawn and that action taken with or without the existence of this email.

But putting our heads in the sand does not equal "preferring evidence over fantasy." It's the opposite.

[NorCalBlue]

39. "Just cops?"

I doubt the cops on the line on 1/6, who used their own bodies to hold off that mob, felt that way. When you make a general statement like this, especially when it’s about a group that included the only people who held off a mob from coming in and lynching members of our beloved House, it doesn’t respect the cops who did not, and would not, ever hold that opinion, if the email is even correct.

I know a lot of cops, and not a single one of them thinks this was anything less than a destructive, illegal mob that had no qualms inflicting permanent and lifelong disabling injuries on those Capitol cops in the furtherance of their message, and who were intent on inflicting personal damage on House members if they had gotten past that line faster.

[sop]

49. Yes, they are "just cops." What else are they?

And they refect the attitudes and beliefs of the majority of police departments across America: authoritarianism and reactionary conservatism.

[Major Nikon]

58. You'd have to be pretty naive to think a large percentage of cops of all stripes aren't cult members

The FOP endorsed the orange dipshit in both elections and has never issued one negative comment about him even after Jan 6.

[NorCalBlue]

59. I'm not naive

And I do not believe that most cops are “cult” members.

I am a 60 yr old individual who never makes a wide judgement about anyone in any profession.

[Major Nikon]

62. You are certainly entitled to that opinion

But as someone who claims to know a lot of cops and doesn't know one that's a cult member suggests you really don't know that many. I know several and have never been in the profession and those are just the ones stupid enough to let everyone around them know how they feel.

[NorCalBlue]

66. Well, Sir

And since you have used a rank, I will address you accordingly, I never said I didn’t know a cop who was cultish. What I said was that the Officers I know, if faced with this mob, would have done their duty and would have acted similarly during the insurrection, and to lump them, or make broad statements, is not something I can do myself, Sir.

[sop]

65. And a lot of these cops joined the Oath Keepers (and other violent rightwing groups).

"Hack exposes law enforcement officers who signed up to join anti-government Oath Keepers"

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/10/02/oath-keepers-hack-exposes-law-enforcement-officers-across-us/5949281001/

I suspect very few (if any) teachers, nurses, mental health professionals, firemen or others who just want to "protect and serve" decided to throw in with a violent, extremist bunch like the Oath Keepers. So, yes, we can draw a number of conclusions about cops.

[NorCalBlue]

70. I'm glad you posted the article

Because I read it. The hack revealed 21 active Law Enforcement Officers who joined. Additionally, 180 who were retired military and para-military. About 200 total out of almost 700,000 active Law Enforcement and that doesn’t take into account the retired Officers.

I honestly try and stay away from broad generalizations because it keeps me from seeing the good in those that deserve it.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

75. Twitter and social media amplify tiny thoughts into important revelations. QAnon for the masses.

[treestar]

72. Cops are not human on DU and I have even seen

claims that there should be no police at all!

It is surprising to see bigotry from the left, but you see it all the time. Claims that any given white cop would have shot the defendant if the defendant were black, as if that happens every time and every single white cop would do it given the chance. People who do not want to be arrested have the right to flee and be picked up "later." I guess when they give permission to be arrested. And the decision should be made with the cop, not the courts. Because the courts are "all corrupt."

[Jedi Guy]

76. Funnily enough...

I've previously pointed out that the rabid anti-police sentiment here on DU is remarkably similar to the lazy thought process that underpins racist ideology. This X did Y, therefore all X are Y. As you might imagine that observation drew quite a response.

And yes, thousands of people are arrested every day in the United States without incident or injury. Some of those people are minorities. But the arrests without incident draw no attention, generally. Why would they? "Person arrested without incident" isn't a headline that's going to attract eyeballs.

Sometimes people are injured or killed by officers attempting to arrest them who are required to use force to effect the arrest. Those incidents must be evaluated on an individual basis and the facts taken into account. Some uses of force are justified, some aren't. The shooting of Sean Reed is an example of the former, the shooting of Philando Castile is an example of the latter.

If the use of force wasn't objectively justifiable based on the facts, the officer should face consequences. If it was justifiable, they shouldn't. It really is that simple, and reasonable people can disagree over whether it was justified. But it sure seems like a lot of people around here take the position that it's never justified.

Unless, of course, we're talking about a use of force against an individual or group we don't like. Then it's okay.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Let me get this straight . . . . Peter Paul Strzok II was cashiered from the same FBI

for having serious doubts about the TFG, yet in THIS report, a sizable number of FBI personnel had sympathy for the participants of the 1/6 Insurrection.

[gab13by13]

7. Wouldn't it be justice to replace Wray with Strzok?

[Duppers]

74. ✔️

[Cosmocat]

15. You got that right

and its why this country is doomed.

The MAJORITY of this country is either a full on right wing loon OR an active enabler of their lunacy.

[certainot]

36. strzok was a major punching bag for team limbaugh regarding hacked communications with girlfriend

for a large part of 2017 to 2020 when limbaugh was channeling the kremlin about the 'liberal deep state'.

a lot of cops and prob less FBI spend a lot of time in cars and media needs to try to find out how many of them are listening to RW radio

[hadEnuf]

44. 30 plus years of unbridled Right-Wing propaganda saturating TV, the internet and radio

has sure done its job.

[Deminpenn]

4. Not surprising given that

the demographic that supplies the majority of FBI employees is conservative in general and white men in particular.

[Freddie]

5. A friend's daughter was recruited by the FBI

As a new college graduate with a criminal Justice degree - from Liberty University. Yup.

[DFW]

9. That the FBI is hiring anyone with a degree from Liberty University is already criminal.

Justice has nothing to do with it.

[Deminpenn]

10. From the conservative demographic

but not the white male part.

[IronLionZion]

8. It's time to diversify law enforcement including FBI

[Alexander Of Assyria]

22. It's a single email...base such a conclusion on ONE email?? But that's social media, sentence

first, facts and verdict later.

[reACTIONary]

26. +100 nt

[oldsoftie]

41. But only when it supports what you already believe. Otherwise; sensationalism!

Although these cases SHOULD be investigated further.
It wouldnt surprise me that SOME are "trumper" types, but not the majority. And as we saw in the video testimonies even most of those closest to trump; people HE had picked, had enough after 1/6 & resigned.

[Scrivener7]

46. Sure, Al. Nothing to see here! No reason to check into it and see if there is

truth in it because after all it's JUST HYSTERIA!!1! Cover your eyes, everyone! Just ignore it and move on! It's just one email!

Wait until there are thousands of armed morons storming the Capitol!

Again!

[Alexander Of Assyria]

50. Check into everything posted on Twitter cause it Could be true! Release the hounds of

Twitter investigation! Gonna need more kennels tho.

Report back here!

[Scrivener7]

53. Sure! Because a guy who was high enough up in the FBI hierarchy that

he addresses the Deputy Director as "Hello, Paul," and who Paul respected enough to thank within an hour for his observations should totally be ignored.

Because he's JUST BEING HYSTERICAL!!1! Because you can't trust everything posted on twitter!!!11! You should NOT check into this!!!1! Only inferior people believe EVERYTHING THEY READ ON TWITTER!!!21!

[Alexander Of Assyria]

78. Your words, not mine, but more or less, yes.

[certainot]

38. what may be just as important is they spend a lot of time in cars - listening to RW radio and

that is something that needs to be researched

[gab13by13]

6. Almost every cable news anchor is getting this wrong,

including Alex Wagner last night. The letter, according to Frank Figliusi , appears to be from a retired FBI person, not an active FBI person.

With that said I do believe there are plenty of Magats working in law enforcement, including the FBI.

[Deminpenn]

11. The email header data says "external email"

that, imo, means it came from outside the FBI, but obviously from someone who is familiar with and knows senior FBI management.

[Kaleva]

13. How would he know? There are thousands who work for the FBI.

[Alexander Of Assyria]

23. Everyone has it right cause they have leaped to yet another conclusion without evidence,

just as intended.

[reACTIONary]

27. +100 nt

[2naSalit]

12. They have weaponized everything...

Including all our institutions and agencies, against us.

They hate us for our freedom.

[Cosmocat]

16. And thanks to McConnell and 45 our courts are not overwhelmed by

these lunatics ...

Stage IV cancer.

[Johnny2X2X]

14. Trump's damage to our institutions of Democracy is ongoing and will take decades to repair

The FBI has virtually unassailable integrity as an institution before Trump came along, but he both overtly and covertly undermined that integrity. When he was President, we know he tried to order the FBI to go after his political opponents and also used his power to get them to not look into he and his regime's crimes. And more subtly by just creating doubt in our system and pushing conspiracy theories as a politician.

I am still not sure our democracy survives, Republicans do nothing but try to weaken our democracy at every level now.

[DemUnleashed]

17. Remember...

Remember when Guiliani said something like there's going to be big news tomorrow, the day before Comey did his bombshell announcement about Hillary, like 10 days before the '16 election?? I think Guiliani even said he got the inside scoop from friends at the FBI that an announcement would be made the next day

These damn MAGAts are everywhere....in the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, lower courts, the military, the FBI, police departments throughout the country, in school boards, city councils, governors' offices, etc etc etc

[pazzyanne]

55. + 1000 nt

[Scrivener7]

18. This is not surprising at all. I bet you and I could have said this was the case on 1/7 if

anyone asked us.

I wonder if anything is being done about it. I WOULD be pleasantly surprised if anything was.

[reACTIONary]

29. So what is to be done? Are we to...

... make ideological a precondition for employment at the FBI? And whose ideology would be banned? Ours? I think not.

I would be unpleasantly disturbed if that was the case.

[Scrivener7]

34. Um... well... obviously yes. We ARE to make ideology a precondition for work at the FBI.

What ideology would be banned? The one that thinks an armed insurrection against our Democracy is a good idea. The one that supports the subversion of the peaceful transition of power which is the bedrock of our Democracy.

Are you kidding me? You think we should just say, "ho hum, people disagree" and move on?

[reACTIONary]

67. Nothing in the email memo in the OP was outside...

... of the normal range of opinion being expressed by around one third, maybe more, of the general public. None of it violated the oath of office. No one should be persecuted for expressing their own opinions.

And if we are to allow and support such persecution, it is more than likely that, ultimately, we would be the ones to be suppressed. Like the two FBI agents who were kicked out for being anti-TFG.

[Joinfortmill]

47. Liberal or conservative is one thing, lies is another. Belief in TRUTH and FACTS is mandatory.

[pazzyanne]

56. + 1 nt

[reACTIONary]

68. So we are going to set up a ministry of truth....

... and make it's decisions mandatory?

Gee, what could go wrong?

[geardaddy]

60. I believe FBI agents have to take and oath

swearing to defend the Constitution. So those supporting the insurrectionists are violation their oath.

[reACTIONary]

69. There was nothing in the OP that indicated that....

.... anyone had violated their oath of office.

And since the constitution protects the right to hold and express one's own opinions, it is hard to conceive of how actually doing so might be construed as a violation of that oath.

[Cozmo]

19. No duh, If I knew J6 was coming, so did everyone else!

[yardwork]

20. Fox News pushed this framing. I heard it from a relative in 2021.

[Lonestarblue]

24. We all know that Hitler took over Germany with lies and propaganda and some violence.

The Republican elites have been trying to undo anything that benefits people other than themselves literally since the days of the Great Depression. Today’s Republicans are simply descendants of those who contributed greatly to the Depression in the first place, harangued against anything Roosevelt tried to do to help people, and even plotted to overthrow his government.

Many of the laws passed during the New Deal were financial regulations that prevented wealthy Republicans from making the kinds of risky deals that led to the Depression. And they certainly hated Social Security because their businesses were required to help support it. Republican have been trying to undo everything created from the New Deal since.

Today’s Republicans have one goal in mind: permanent rule by rich white Republicans where they have the power to force the laws and the country back to the conditions of the early 1920s before the Depression where they were the Robber Barons and essentially existed above the law. They have used every lie possible, infiltrated every government organization with their acolytes, and they’re very close to succeeding. The 2022 and 2024 elections are the last chance for democracy. I don’t know that we’ll keep it because the media is mostly on the side of the wealthy Republicans.

[Historic NY]

28. This has been a slow roll for years...

Oathkeepers, 3%er, libertarian bents. Remember when Giuliani said NY was Trump land. They hired a lot of these zealots after 911. The anti-Hillary types, the followers of the fat cat higher ups.

[NoMoreRepugs]

30. How does one "understand" the frustration of Insurrectionists?

If u are empathetic towards the Insurrectionist Deplorables get the fuck out of the US FBI. You serve the country, not a group intent on overthrowing that country.

[sop]

43. It's not that difficult to understand 1/6 Trump insurrectionists: They're frustrated racists.

All of them were screaming and carrying signs proclaiming the "election was stolen." And when Republicans say "elections are stolen" what they really mean is blacks, browns and immigrants have the right to vote.

[NoMoreRepugs]

73. I understand the Insurrectionists. I was referring to the FBI personnel referenced in the article.

All good.

[ecstatic]

31. BLM protests are the default rebuttal of every ignorant refug

And we can thank Fox "News" and other right-wing rags for that. It's scary but not surprising that the FBI has many MAGA sympathizers. If the 70 to 75% estimate applies to the FBI overall then we are up shit's creek right now. And how many are in local police departments??

[fightforfreedom]

32. This does not surprise me at all.

Trump voters failed to uphold a sacred value we all count on. The people are supposed to put the rule of law, the constitution above any person, any belief, any political party. The Trump voters fell victim to propaganda and lost their way. they became Un-American.

[dalton99a]

33. Economic anxiety redux

[Emile]

35. What attracts them to fascism?

[msfiddlestix]

42. Authoritarianism.

Not all those who make law enforcement their chosen careers, but it certainly attracts those who are inclined and diven to act out their fascissts fantasies.

[Augiedog]

37. Fucking Bunch of Idiots

[msfiddlestix]

40. I feel like we suspected a "good number" of them, but I hadn't imagined to this extent.

this is a result from years and years of Republican appointed administrations.

I don't know if this could ever be fixable.

[Joinfortmill]

45. Scary shit, people. These so called news sites need to be regulated. NOW would be a good time.

[JohnSJ]

48. If this is true, there needs to be a major house cleaning, but that will not happen unless we

control Congress

[Duppers]

51. Remember, Wray is a member of the Federalist Society.

Link to tweet

[GreenWave]

52. ALL who supported the insurrection should be kicked out, pensions forfeited!

[MeNotThatKindOfOrc]

57. I question the verity of this email

It's like saying the FBI really was part of the insurrection like the MAGAs were claiming. It just seems sus, like it was meant to be more divisive. I know it came from a .gov site but did it?

[fescuerescue]

61. It looks like it's been printed and copied 15 times.

To give it more authenticity.

But to me, that is suspect. It's not 1990 anymore.

[muriel_volestrangler]

79. What does "but did it?" mean?

Are you saying you think fbi.gov was hacked, and that news stories have been written about this email, but that the FBI has not bothered to say "this was maliciously placed on our website"?

[kentuck]

64. That should come as no surprise...

A few years ago, it was reported how Guiliani was working with some of the FBI in his pursuit to make Trump president for life.

[treestar]

71. Employees would include everyone, not just agents

and they haven't really proved the point with this anecdotal evidence.

One does not qualify to be an FBI agent if the rule of law is not a thing, and an orange pretender's rule seems better.

[ForgedCrank]

77. I am of

the opinion that it shouldn't matter.
I see the real problem as being the concept that we as a society are migrating toward the idea that it is acceptable for authorities to base their decisions and actions on their personal beliefs rather than applying fairness of the law equally, and without of bias.
That applies to police, DOJ, FBI, judges, lawmakers, etc.
I feel the same way anytime I see someone suggest "packing the court" as some sort of solution to problems that exist for the very same reason. It is unacceptable, and conflicts directly with the system of laws we have designed to protect us from such shenanigans.
Whether we like it or not, all of this is completely dependent on the honor system and promises (oaths). And until we begin to severely punish authorities who do not apply fairness equally, this will continue to be a very serious problem.
If we have to go to court for some reason, the last thing we should have to worry about is who the judge voted for in the latest election, or who they may have donated money to.