The J. Edgar Hoover headquarters building that the FBI inhabits is one of the ugliest examples of brutalist, communist-inspired architecture in Washington D.C., and perhaps the world.
In normal times, I would support demolishing it and replacing it with something that reminds us of freedom and beauty, but these are not normal times.
As things stand, the FBI is closer to a communist secret police than a law enforcement agency. While I would prefer disbanding it and replacing it with something that resembles a genuine law enforcement agency, the least we could do is move the FBI to middle America—somewhere that no swamp creature would deign to live.
Donald Trump should know this better than anyone, but his solution seems to be some 4-D chess that is far too complicated and seemingly crazy: build the agency an edifice worthy of a Pope.
There’s nobody in America who should be more aware of how evil the FBI has become than Donald Trump and he’s still somehow naive to the point it’s almost child-like. I will never understand it.
— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) May 8, 2024
Put the FBI in the middle of the Pacific if you want to save the country. https://t.co/z9w4P8Jucg
Trump's "Truth" post on Truth Social has enraged a significant chunk of his MAGA influencer base, who have been working in the trenches for years to beat back the lawfare infrastructure of which the FBI is a major part. (Jesse Kelly was a DeSantis supporter, so he is not exactly MAGA. Julie Kelly has been firmly in Trump's camp, as has Cernovich).
Few people have been persecuted more than Trump by the FBI and intelligence community, and Trump appears to be rewarding them.
This the same FBI that entrapped people and plotted the kidnapping of Governor Whitmer, labeled parents and Catholics "domestic terrorists," concocted fake stories about Donald Trump and leaked them, and even lied to the FISA court as part of their scheme to depose a sitting president.
This is 💯 spot on and Jesse’s rage is justified. I feel the same. Why should we be out here every day exposing the corrupt rot at DOJ/FBI only to hear about Trump’s plans to build a new FBI HQ CLOSER TO DOJ?
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) May 8, 2024
Wtf is this?
Infuriating and insulting. https://t.co/mw2fmHhNXz
I was perplexed by Trump's insistence that the FBI should be rewarded for their assaults on freedom and democracy, but not especially outraged. Trump is Trump, meaning that he is utterly unpredictable in such matters. And, to be honest, after his first term it seemed obvious to me that draining the swamp may be his goal, but it isn't one he is equipped to accomplish. He simply doesn't understand the ways of Washington and it's unlikely he ever will.
That, after all, is the main reason I supported Ron DeSantis. I lost that battle. So it goes.
Trump is what we have, and while ill-equipped to drain the swamp, he has his virtues. He is good on the economy and foreign policy, and those matter quite a bit. Trump is not the man to save America, but he can keep us on life support. Biden will kill it.
Enough said.
These MAGA influencers are furious with Trump because, in my judgment, they expect too much of him. They believe he has the temperament to vanquish all his foes.
On the campaign field he clearly does have these skills; in government, not so much.
Today the FBI counterterrorism unit arrested a woman for Jan 6.
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) May 8, 2024
Charges include obstruction of an official proceeding, a count likely overturned by SCOTUS soon.
FBI does not deserve a new HQ and no Republican—especially Donald Trump—should endorse it. Period. https://t.co/n6EGMzz8Ox
Trump is not a Caesar as the screaming liberals portray him, but he does share one quality with the ancient dictator: he reflexively forgives his enemies. Caesar famously pardoned his opponents once he vanquished them (he vanquished them first!), and Trump has this same quality.
Look at his relationship with Ron DeSantis. Trump was vicious and frankly disgusting in his attacks on DeSantis. His sycophants declared that DeSantis was worse than any Democrat and that he needed to be destroyed. They bought into the hype.
Now Trump is thrilled to work with him. That is how Trump works. If you expect him to hold grudges you are wrong in almost every instance.
Trump in last 48 hours
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) May 8, 2024
- supported a traitor who took bribes from a jihadi nation
- wants the FBI and DOJ to work closely enough
- endorses Speaker Johnson’s failures pic.twitter.com/2jMhK1R4bj
The "lock Hillary up" guy never even investigated her, despite her many crimes. I actually think that was good because politically motivated prosecutions, even if they are justified, are bad for the country. You can see that before your very eyes right now.
But this should have been a clue to these people who are furious right now. This is Trump. It is one of his best and worst qualities; his rhetoric is strong, but his killer instinct is mainly in the rhetorical realm, which is often unmet in the real world.
Ironically, this puts me in the position of shrugging at Trump's inexplicable position of wanting to reward the FBI with a big, beautiful headquarters. I am not outraged. I haven't shifted my opinion by a millimeter. I support him not because he will be a savior but because he is better than the alternative by a long shot.
The outrage from Trump's influencer allies stems from their outsized devotion to Trump. Trump is a flawed man, not a savior.
