Court ruling calls Justice Dept a “fraud”

While many Americans are now familiar with Fast and Furious, not many are aware of just how ugly the scandal became. That’s because a lawsuit filed by a DoJ whistleblower was sealed until now. As reported by Fox News two weeks ago, last year’s lawsuit against the Justice Department was finally unsealed and it showed a terror campaign against at least one BATF whistleblower responsible for exposing Fast and Furious. It got so bad, someone burned his house down.

The lawsuit brought by former BATF agent Jay Dobyns and concluded this past December reveals the unprecedented steps taken by the US federal court. In his ruling, Judge Francis Allegra accused 7 Justice Department lawyers of “fraud upon the court”. The Judge also banned the seven from participating in any more proceedings and took the unusual step of personally notifying Attorney General Eric Holder. That, of course, is nearly laughable as AG Holder himself was convicted of Contempt of Congress but refused to prosecute himself. Holder’s impeachment and conviction were the direct result of his and the DoJ’s refusal to cooperate with a Congressional investigation of Fast and Furious and of lying to Congress in an unsuccessful attempt to cover up the secret arms program.

USAF General reveals whose running the country

At the same time it was revealed the Justice Department was subverting America’s Judicial Branch, it was also revealed that the Defense Department was doing the same thing to America’s Legislative Branch. A report two weeks ago from AP and Yahoo News documents how the number 2 USAF General threatened subordinates that if they told Congress the truth, they’d be committing treason. The order, seemingly treason itself, was made by Maj. General James Post to a room full of his subordinate officers.

Confirmed by Associated Press who said they spoke to a number of Air Force officers present at meeting, the USAF General warned, “If anyone accuses me of saying this, I will deny it. Anyone who is passing information to Congress about A-10 capabilities is committing treason.” The comments are thought to be a direct result of Congress’ plans to phase out the famed, durable, but aged A-10 Warthog.

Members of Congress were obviously outraged, as evidenced by their grilling of the USAF Chief of Staff before a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting on January 28. “This is very serious, to accuse people of treason for communicating with Congress,” Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) told Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh. The Air Force issued a statement attempting to cool Congressional tempers saying, ‘We are aware of the concerns surrounding the alleged remarks made by General Post. We take this matter very seriously and are fully cooperating with the Secretary of the Air Force Inspector General’s investigation.’

While it’s frightening that America’s military leaders are secretly subverting the Constitution and Congressional oversight, it’s somewhat reassuring to know that the nation’s mid-level officers didn’t sit idly by while the Executive Branch ordered them to all but overthrow the Legislative Branch. General Post’s treason threats were made public when a number of USAF officers attending that meeting leaked the comments to a former fellow Air Force officer who runs a blog called John Q Public.

CIA caught subverting Congress, no way to stop them

When Congress gave President Bush dictatorial powers in 2001, Bush gave the CIA full reign to carry out something called ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’. While some of the methods were seemingly harmless, others were obvious torture and in full violation of local, state, federal and international law. Thanks to Edward Snowden, America now knows that the CIA operated dozens of secret torture chambers in countries around the world.

Congress has spent years trying to get to the bottom of the torture allegations with the CIA stonewalling every step of the way. At one point last year, it was revealed that the CIA had broken into the US Senate’s computer systems to spy on Congressional investigators to see what evidence the US Senate had discovered. Even after being caught, the Executive Branch reminded America it was above the law because it’s all in the name of national security. It appeared the Legislative Branch was powerless to stop them.

The computer break-in concluded last month when the CIA finished investigating itself and determined that the five CIA agents caught at the center of the scandal were cleared of all wrongdoing. Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Diane Feinstein (D-CA) was not happy. As reported by Business Insider, she followed the CIA announcement with her own stating, “I’m thankful that Director Brennan has apologized for these actions. But I’m disappointed that no one at the CIA will be held responsible.”

US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Another federal agency that has raised red flags recently is the new US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Our good friends at Watchdog.org bring us numerous examples of how the agency created by the Legislative Branch, but funded and operated by the Executive Branch, has already gone rogue. In renovating the Imperial Palace that the CFPB calls home, the agency budgeted $90 million for remodeling. Instead, they spent $210 million taxpayer dollars to renovate a building they don’t even own for an agency charged with protecting the taxpayers from financial fraud. The renovations reportedly included an indoor pond, a waterfall and walls made out of water.

The publication quotes the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s John Berlau saying, “That’s more per square foot than the Bellagio hotel-casino in Las Vegas.” The Office of Inspector General also found the exorbitant remodeling costs violated the agency’s rules, “Approval of funding for the renovation was not in accordance with the CFPB’s current policies for major investment.”

US Rep Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, admitted that the CFPB is above the law and out of reach of Congress. “We’re seeing the results of this dangerous unaccountability today in a Washington bureaucracy that is running amok, spending as much as it wants on whatever it wants,” he said. Critics also criticized the agency’s insistence on spying on the American citizens it’s supposed to be protecting. “They say they need sensitive mortgage and credit card data to do their job,” said CEI’s John Berlau, “No other agency has this power. They’re rivaling the National Security Agency.”

Chief of the secret police

Last but certainly not least is America’s Chief of the Secret Police himself, James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence. Most people aren’t aware that while the NSA, CIA, FBI, BATF, DEA, ICE and America’s 16 different spy agencies are all individual entities, they are all under the authority and direction of one man – the Director of ODNI.

When James Clapper, Director of ODNI, testified before Congress in response to Edward Snowden’s leaks, he said the country’s spy apparatus wasn’t carrying out blanket spying of all Americans. He was lying to Congress and has since admitted so in writing. It’s been proven that other Snowden leaks were true and blatantly lied about by men like James Clapper, George Bush and Barack Obama.

But ODNI Director Clapper and AG Eric Holder also proved there’s nothing Congress can do about it. The Executive Branch is in charge of the country now, not the American people. If Congress doesn’t like dictatorships, they shouldn’t have turned America into one in 2001. And if they really think they can unmake a dictatorship by passing some law, they’re as naïve as they are powerless.