ANALYSIS – As someone involved in national security for over 30 years, I’ve written a lot about the FBI – about its successes as well as its politicization, and corrupt, partisan leadership. 

I’ve even argued that perhaps the entire FBI should be dissolved or broken up.

But I’ve generally defended the rank-and-file field agents, some whom I’ve known or worked with. I’ve noted that most are hardworking, honorable patriots.

In a recent piece I even noted that a ‘Sizable Percentage’ of FBI Agents and Employees were reportedly ‘sympathetic’ to the Capitol rioters and believed the FBI was conducting a witch hunt against them.

So, it saddens, and angers me, when I read that the FBI leadership lauded clueless or woke agents from the D.C field office who took a knee in front of BLM protesters and rioters in the summer of 2020.

Recall that these police-hating, BLM race riots caused over $2 billion in damages nationwide, caused multiple civilian deaths, and injured over 2,000 local police and other law enforcement. 

As Gagliano notes: “Seattle and Minneapolis police precincts were occupied and immolated, a federal courthouse was firebombed while federal agents were trapped inside, and deadly “autonomous zones” were established in Democrat-led cities.”

This is the BLM mob these DC agents kneeled for in DC, and leadership lauded.

What’s more, the FBI Agents Association rewarded these kneeling agents kowtowing to the BLM mob with $100 gift cards.

Founded in 1981, the nonprofit organization boasts 14,000 members, including 90% of the current FBI agent workforce, and used to command respect from the rank-and-file agents.

But maybe not so much now.

James Gagliano, a retired FBI supervisory special agent, writes in New York Post:

FBI executive management lauded on-duty agents who knelt before Black Lives Matter protesters at the height of the George Floyd unrest and riots for their “de-escalation” efforts, The Washington Times recently reported. A whistleblower said the counterterrorism special agent in charge of the Washington, DC, field office even hugged each of them after the June 4, 2020, incident. While not all the “presence patrol” agents assigned to the scene — which included the Supreme Court and the National Archives — “took a knee” in a show of solidarity or an act of cowardice and capitulation, at least seven did.

And what was the FBI Agents Association’s response to this embarrassing gesture? Well, as the paper reported and FBI insiders confirmed to me, the organization rewarded the kneelers with a $100 “attaboy” — or what it describes as gift cards of “modest value.”

While seven idiotic agents kneeling may only be a very small number of the entire FBI field agent force, the fact that our premier law enforcement agency had any who did that is disturbing.

But even worse is the leadership and the association rewarding them for it.

Gagliano rightly notes: “With outrageous, political decisions by its board, it has sullied itself just as James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page and Kevin Clinesmith annihilated the top law-enforcement agency’s reputation during the 2016 Russiagate hoax.”

This is why the FBI is now distrusted by about half the country. Only 44% of Gallup respondents in 2021 felt the Bureau was doing an “excellent” or “good” job.

Gagliano concludes:

I have come to grips with the fact that my beloved FBI has been irreparably broken by woke activists serving amongst its senior ranks. And with the Justice Department appearing to do this president’s bidding by targeting his political adversaries, it will take a monumental house-cleaning and seismic shift in culture at both DOJ and the FBI to begin to restore America’s trust and confidence.

This something I have said before and wholeheartedly agree with. A thorough FBI housecleaning is badly needed

Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of Great America News Desk.