The FBI recently revealed an embarrassing secret – they disobeyed a direct order from the White House. The order was in relation to a ‘secret deal’ and sought to identify which government agency had acted outside of protocol. The answer it appears, was found to be within the FBI itself.
The secret deal which the White House secretly requested the FBI to investigate was in relation to a major surveillance project which is thought to have been conducted without legal authorisation. It is believed that the surveillance program was deeply intertwined with the National Security Agency (NSA) and other intelligence agencies. The White House wanted to find out which agency had overstepped its authority and had acted outside of the scope of the intelligence laws.
While the FBI initially went looking for another government agency which could have been responsible, they eventually found that it had, in fact, been themselves who had disobeyed the White House’s order. According to reports, the FBI had acted independently of the White House in carrying out the surveillance project, deliberately circumventing the intelligence laws which would have prevented it.
The incident has raised questions over how the White House could have been so misinformed about what was happening, and why the FBI chose to go rogue. Furthermore, the reaction of the White House remains unknown as they have refused to comment publicly on the matter.
This isn’t the first time the FBI has been upbraided by the White House over similar occurrences. In 2016, the White House condemned the FBI’s secretive use of a surveillance device known as a ‘Stingray’, which was used to track and identify suspects without obtaining a warrant. This is yet another example of how the FBI has chosen to undermine the authority of the White House and the intelligence laws, and it will be interesting to see what the repercussions, if any, will be.
In a time of great political turmoil, the FBI’s response to the direct order from the White House casts a long shadow over the organisation and gives the general public yet another reason to distrust it. It is clear that the White House are frustrated with the insubordination of the FBI, but it remains to be seen as to how, or if, they will respond.
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