Former FBI Director James Comey reacts after bumping something under the table, during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 8, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

These people were once in charge at the highest levels of our intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Is it any wonder Republicans have zero faith in these institutions at this point?

James Comey was recently found to have mishandled classified information and broke the law by the DOJ Inspector General. Of course, prosecution was declined because no one is ever held accountable in Washington. Instead of slinking into the background, Comey decided to claim the report as vindication and his allies rushed to MSNBC and CNN studios everywhere to defend his malfeasance.

Enter James Clapper, one of the most insidious, corrupt actors during the Obama administration.

"Yeah, it violated the standard protocols and procedures of the FBI. I don't think there’s a rulebook, though, for this extraordinary situation involving potential — I emphasize potential — criminality of a president." https://t.co/LXSghN6QMz

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 30, 2019

Notice self-described really serious journalist Brian Stelter sharing this clip without a hint of push back. A former government official just admitted he supports breaking the law based on the whims of partisan, appointed officials. That seems like something worth a little critiquing doesn’t it? But Clapper is actually on CNN’s payroll, because being corrupt gets you TV gigs these days as long as your corruption targeted Trump.

As to Clapper’s comments, of course there’s a rule book for for what he describes as an “extraordinary situation.” It’s called the normal rule book. I can’t express properly just how incredibly dangerous it is for bureaucrats to think they can simply flaunt the law if they have a gut feeling about something.

Yes, every FBI agent should be free to violate civil rights and ignore procedure if they feel very strongly about any given case.

— Tall Man Short Hair (@TallManShort) August 30, 2019

The brazenness with which these former officials operate is typically pretty striking, but to see one just openly endorse breaking the law seems noteworthy. If only we had a media complex willing to actually tackle issues like this instead of handing them fluff interviews. CNN has become an absolute joke. Hiring Andrew McCabe, even as he was found to have lied to the FBI, and guys like James Clapper show they have no credibly left. It’s all about pushing a narrative.

I honestly don’t see how the FBI, CIA, and DOJ ever earn back trust at this point. Their histories are littered with abuses and they never seem to learn from the fall out. In fact, they seem to not care at all. It doesn’t matter who gets stuck at the top, these agencies are filled with career employees, the vast majority of which are liberal. Who’s to say they won’t do all this again the next time they get back in power? They almost assuredly will given there have been no consequences to this point.

I’ve got a new twitter! Please help by following @bonchieredstate.