I have often found it interesting how the course of time will produce changes in political alliances. This is particularly compelling when it comes to the Democrats' new love affair with the FBI, an agency they have rightly criticized since its inception.
The Bureau has a long and storied history of being weaponized against the left and right. But lately, the agency’s actions against former President Donald Trump and others on the right have brought about calls from Republicans to dissolve the FBI.
Of course, I don’t believe for a second that most of the Republican lawmakers actually want to abolish the FBI. But the fact that they are even bothering to pretend shows they understand that their constituents have become fed up with the corruption that has plagued the agency since it was first created.
One would think that left-wing figures would welcome the change of heart coming from the right given that they have been the FBI’s chief critics. Yet, they are now defending the Bureau with all their might.
Democratic Virgin Islands Del. Stacey Plaskett went on a peculiar tirade during a House hearing on the weaponization of government, lashing out at those on the right who have criticized the FBI and the Justice Department. She claimed the Bureau exists to “serve as a check against white nationalism, great replacement theorists, Christian nationalists, white fragility, fascists, and the twice impeached convicted felon, former president and would-be dictator Donald Trump.”
Stacey Plaskett: The purpose of the DOJ and FBI is to "serve as a check against white nationalism, great replacement theorists, Christian nationalists, white fragility, fascists, and the twice impeached convicted felon, former president and would-be dictator Donald Trump." pic.twitter.com/AYAZtch01v
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) September 25, 2024
Yet, the FBI has a long and storied history of acting as a tool to undermine and neutralize left-wing movements – especially during the mid-20th century.
Remember the Counter Intelligence Program, also known as COINTELPRO?
Under the program, established under FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, FBI agents surveilled, infiltrated, and disrupted domestic political organizations between 1956 and 1971. Initially, the effort targeted members of the Communist Party.
However, it quickly expanded to include civil rights organizations, anti-Vietnam War activists, feminist groups, and others associated with the new left. FBI agents spied on notable civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
Surveillance was not the only activity the FBI engaged in. It also used illegal tactics such as sowing disinformation, harassing citizens, and infiltrating these groups to undermine them from the inside.
The FBI also targeted the Black Panther Party under the program. The organization advocated for black empowerment and challenged racist practices coming from law enforcement and other government institutions. The Bureau labeled the entire party as a national security threat and launched aggressive efforts to dismantle the group.
The agency’s methods were not limited to simple surveillance and infiltration. It also orchestrated the assassination of prominent Panther leaders like Fred Hampton, who was murdered by law enforcement during a Chicago raid in 1969. The Bureau also sought to disrupt the party’s community programs such as their Breakfast for Children initiative, which provided free meals to poor children.
While the Vietnam War raged, the Bureau monitored and sabotaged movements and groups who advocated for an end to the military conflict. The agency labeled many of these groups as radical and a threat to U.S. foreign policy. Agents infiltrated these groups, planting false information and trying to sow division among activists to weaken their efforts. Unfortunately, their tactics worked to a certain extent. The campaigns made it more difficult for anti-war activists to mobilize and protest effectively.
What is even more fascinating about Democrats’ newfound respect for the FBI is that the agency never actually stopped using these tactics on left-wing groups. The COINTELPRO program was dissolved 1971, but its legacy remains as the agency continues using similar methods.
During the protests against police brutality that started with the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the FBI paid a convicted violent felon named Mickey Windecker to infiltrate Black Lives Matter groups and other movements in Denver, Colorado.
Windecker’s trademark was the silver hearse he drove while posing as a radical left-wing activist. He sowed discord among nonviolent protesters and tried goading them into using more extreme violent tactics. He tried to steer peaceful protests toward clashes with the police. He even managed to pressure one member into purchasing a firearm for him, which resulted in weapons charges for the activist.
Windecker, who was paid over $20,000 for his services, was part of an overall effort by the FBI to undermine the protests against police brutality. One of the methods he used to sow division within the protesters' ranks is a practice known as “snitch-jacketing,” which involves an undercover FBI operative falsely accusing movement leaders of being informants to cause other members to distrust them.
In light of this, it is amazing that a black woman like Plaskett would suddenly embrace the FBI despite its past and current corruption. However, it is not surprising.
Over recent years, the FBI has also been weaponized against folks on the right as well. While largely ignoring pro-abortion activists who have vandalized pro-life organizations, they have gone after pro-life activists for protesting at abortion clinics. Before being found out, the Bureau even sought to target Catholics they deemed to be radical. There were even FBI agents present at the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building, some of whom appeared to be egging on the violence. Of course, we also can’t forget how the Bureau orchestrated a kidnapping plot against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, can we?
Unfortunately, Democrats seem to believe that because the FBI is ostensibly on their side for the time being, they should blindly defend it no matter what it does. If the agency is targeting the right, then Democrats have no problem hopping into bed with the Bureau, which shows they never cared about corruption in the first place.