These are truly unprecedented times when the ranking member of a committee that oversees an agency finds it necessary to defend that agency against nefarious attacks by the committee's chairman.
But that's exactly what Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff did Wednesday when he released an open letter lauding the FBI amid a string of baseless attacks on the agency by his GOP counterpart Devin Nunes. In an effort to buoy morale at the beleaguered agency, Schiff addressed his message directly to the FBI.
I first came into contact with the FBI as an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles more than thirty years ago. At the time, I worked hand in hand with FBI agents on cases that ranged from drug trafficking to bank robbery, and from defense contractor fraud to complex white-collar investigations involving corruption. The most significant case I prosecuted was one that involved the FBI as both defendant and investigating agency, when I tried former FBI agent Richard Miller for spying for the Russians.
While that case involved the first FBI agent to be charged with such a serious crime, it was also the case that demonstrated to me the dogged pursuit of justice that characterizes the bureau. [...]
I came to Congress in 2001, only months before the Sept. 11 attacks. In the months and years following that terrible day, at a time of national fear and uncertainty, I watched the FBI remake itself into the world’s most effective counterterrorism organization. Through painstaking effort and with superb leadership, you uncovered and disrupted terrorists plotting attacks on our soil, and you have saved countless lives.
After praising the integrity, resiliency, and work ethic of FBI agents, Schiff addressed the recent efforts by Donald Trump and Republicans to attack the agency and tarnish its investigation into Trump’s campaign and Russia’s incursion in the 2016 election.
Dare to dream: What if Adam Schiff were chairman of the House Intelligence panel instead of Devin Nunes. Can you pitch in $3 to help make it happen?
In recent weeks, the FBI has come under unprecedented and unjustified criticism. FBI agents have been slandered as “stormtroopers” for executing lawful search warrants and described as part of a corrupt “deep state” for pursuing a lawful counterintelligence investigation into Russia’s interference in our elections. [...]
None of this will obscure the fact that the investigation undertaken into Russia’s contacts with the Trump campaign was more than appropriate—it was essential to the security of the United States and to protect the country from foreign adversaries. Nor will it detract from the incredible work the bureau continues to do to keep Americans safe. [...]
I have not always agreed with the decisions of the FBI, either as an assistant U.S. attorney or as a member of Congress, and nor would I expect to. But I have never questioned the integrity of the hard working men and women at the Bureau and for a simple reason; you have never given me cause to do so. The American people have entrusted the FBI with the tremendous task of enforcing the law, fairly and without favor. That trust has been well placed.
We need more of this from Democrats: mounting bold defenses of our institutions while highlighting the destructive and corrupt intentions of Trump & Co.
Also, imagine a world in which Schiff was heading the House Intelligence panel instead of feckless White House errand boy Devin Nunes.