Investigative columnist Jim Bovard joins the show to discuss the latest news from the FBI, as well as its history of meddling in American politics. Lots of people have been shocked by the revelations in the recent Inspector General report about the bias of top FBI officials in the 2016 election, but few are aware of the Bureau’s long tradition of underhandedness. Bovard explains how J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI deliberately leaked on the Truman administration, spread rumors that Adlai Stevenson was gay, investigated the Goldwater presidential campaign, conspired against Martin Luther King’s plans to hold a demonstration at the 1964 Democratic Convention, and worked against President Nixon, culminating in his resignation—and that’s just the stuff we already know. Bovard is optimistic about what has come out from 2016 so far, and hopes that more will emerge as scrutiny continues. One positive sign, he notes, is that although the mainstream media seems perfectly willing to shill for the FBI, juries are becoming less and less likely to believe them.
Discussed on the show:
- Frederic Whitehurst
- “State ignored 17 FOIA requests for Clinton’s emails before 2014” (Washington Examiner)
- “Emails Reveal Hillary Clinton Knew About Ethnic Cleansing In Libya” (shadowproof.com)
- “State Dept.: 75-year wait for Clinton aide emails” (CNN)
- “How an Affair Between a Reporter and a Security Aide Has Rattled Washington Media” (New York Times)
- “A politically weaponized FBI is nothing new, but plenty dangerous” (The Hill)
- “Inspector general’s report on FBI and Clinton’s emails shows secrecy threatens democracy” (USA Today)
Jim Bovard is a columnist for USA Today and the author of Public Policy Hooligan: Rollicking and Wrangling from Helltown to Washington. Find all of his books and read his work on his website and follow him on Twitter @JimBovard.
This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.
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