Rep. Cuellar and the FBI: Policing or Police State?

 

I have watched with interest for announced developments concerning Henry Cuellar since it became known yesterday that the FBI had apparently searched his home and removed several items. As of yet, there has been no statement from the south Texas Congressman and only scant information from authorities.

I suspect that most outside of Texas have known little or nothing about Cuellar until recently when he has been in the public eye because of his positions about the effects that the flood of illegal immigration on his home congressional district, the 28th Texas Congressional District. But Cuellar has consistently been his own man for some time. He is still a Democrat but has been more in the mold of what some might have considered a traditional moderate Democrat of decades past. He has always openly favored a stronger border and does not toe the party line concerning the Democrat rite of abortion, as two examples. But he has been a solid win in the 28th since 2005, winning by 20 points in the 2020 general election.

It has been in the primary of 2020 where Cuellar had his closest political challenge, defeating Jessica Cisneros with 51% of the tally. Cisneros is also challenging Cuellar in this year’s primary coming the first of March, barely more than a month away. She is an attorney, immigrant rights advocate, supporter of Medicare for All, and stronger spokesperson for “productive rights.”

She’s just a lot more woke than old Henry. She also has a ton more money and support pouring in from out-of-state.

Cuellar has been outspoken about the border crisis and the terrible impact it is having on his district and its people. In some ways, he is representative of the backlash among a great many Hispanics against a standard Democrat policy that negatively affects all our citizens and communities.

There have been “reports” that Cuellar is being targeted by the DOJ’s Department of Public Integrity because of campaign finance violations. This, just a week after he announced $700,000 in contributions, a record for him. There are also some rumors linking the former Soviet state of Azerbaijan to the investigation.

If Congressman Cuellar has been involved in illegalities, he deserves to be investigated. But there are some not as open-minded and compliant as I am who become suspicious when it all happens so close to what was going to be a hotly contested primary in a district whose lines have been redrawn to be a little more “blue” than before. Being less suspiciously minded than some, I am sure that it has little to do with his opponent being much more acceptable to the establishment of not just the party as a whole but the swampy bureaucratic levels of DOJ as well. Besides, if it were a set-up would you select Azerbaijan as a connection? But perhaps there is a touch of genius to using a nation that 95% of the people have never heard of and can either spell or pronounce!

But I am patient with my suspicious brethren. They tend to overreact when the FBI actively plots to discredit a presidential candidate of a major political party and then works to undermine and even incriminate him after he wins.

They point to the plot to kidnap Governor Whitmer and wonder how there could be more informants and agents involved than actual culprits. They correctly argue that the FBI has often been corrupted at the top levels since the days of J. Edgar Hoover. Some even bring up the name of Ray Epps.

There are those who wonder if “Public Integrity” were a great concern, wouldn’t the son of a sitting president deserve some attention?

They feel that when a national policing agency that pays far more attention to one side of the political spectrum might need to be re-thought. Some are even in favor of tearing it down and starting over.

I am, of course, much more measured and thoughtful than these brethren but I can see where they might have ground to stand on. I have tried to reason with them but find myself seeing their side more and more. I will have to reflect on it a little more. It could be that in about two more drinks they can win me over…

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  1. Jimmy Carter Member
    Jimmy Carter
    @JimmyCarter

    Burn it all down and piss on the ashes.

    • #1
  2. philo Member
    philo
    @philo

    Ole Summers: She’s just a lot more woke than old Henry

    Coincidence?:

    “There might be more to old Henry than meets the eye.”

    BTW, that’s a good one. (Best western since Hostiles.)

    • #2
  3. Mad Gerald Coolidge
    Mad Gerald
    @Jose

    Thanks for the background on Cuellar.  I’m wondering what this is about…

    • #3
  4. Ole Summers Member
    Ole Summers
    @OleSummers

    philo (View Comment):

    Ole Summers: She’s just a lot more woke than old Henry

    Coincidence?:

    “There might be more to old Henry than meets the eye.”

    BTW, that’s a good one. (Best western since Hostiles.)

    Thanks for heads up, will have to take that in. Think I can figure Old Henry’s secret but the story built around it looks it will be a good one.

    • #4
  5. Stad Coolidge
    Stad
    @Stad

    My vote:

    Police state.

    • #5
  6. Ole Summers Member
    Ole Summers
    @OleSummers

    Cuellar is a member of a committee dealing with Azerbaijan. A trip taken by some members of the committee was called into question (dealing with who paid for it, etc) but Cuellar did not go on the trip. The other members were later cleared by the “ethics” committee because they claimed not to know who paid for it. 

    There seems to be some other questions dealing with contributions from those who paid for the trip. That can be cleared up one way or the other.

    But Cuellar has always been a voice for strong borders and recently been outspoken on calling out this administration for the damage done to his district. As such, he has more or less become a go-to source by Fox News and is a constant brown face in defiance of open borders and an advocate for the damage done to the Hispanic community by that policy.

    Guilty or not, there seems to be a lot bigger and more damaging fish to fry if you is very concerned about political corruption. But with only weeks until the primary it provides the Dems the chance to remove Cuellar for a much more radical voice. 

    • #6
  7. I Walton Member
    I Walton
    @IWalton

    The FBI has always been corrupt and self serving.  It has some very good people but the role is exaggerated. The leadership began corrupt and bureaucracies don’t fix themselves.  They should  be abolished and replaced with whatever is actually useful but it must be tiny and overworked.  

    • #7
  8. genferei Member
    genferei
    @genferei

    I Walton (View Comment):

    It has some very good people

    I agree with the rest of your comment, but here I think we’ve reached the point of “citation required”. 

    • #8
  9. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Banana republic time. Obama started it, but Joe is putting on the final touches. 

    • #9
  10. I Walton Member
    I Walton
    @IWalton

    genferei (View Comment):

    I Walton (View Comment):

    It has some very good people

    I agree with the rest of your comment, but here I think we’ve reached the point of “citation required”.

    Assumption.  There have to be.  Folks don’t know and it has a good image from TV programs so it recruits normal folks.

    • #10
  11. Columbo Inactive
    Columbo
    @Columbo

    genferei (View Comment):

    I Walton (View Comment):

    It has some very good people

    I agree with the rest of your comment, but here I think we’ve reached the point of “citation required”.

    It used to. One example … 

    https://centerforfinancialstability.org/KBrock.php

    https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Testimony-Brock-2020-12-03.pdf

     

    • #11
  12. genferei Member
    genferei
    @genferei

    I Walton (View Comment):

    genferei (View Comment):

    I Walton (View Comment):

    It has some very good people

    I agree with the rest of your comment, but here I think we’ve reached the point of “citation required”.

    Assumption. There have to be. Folks don’t know and it has a good image from TV programs so it recruits normal folks.

    At some point you can’t call folks that ignorant of or willfully blind regarding the Bureau’s leadership “good”. 

    • #12
  13. No Caesar Thatcher
    No Caesar
    @NoCaesar

    genferei (View Comment):

    I Walton (View Comment):

    genferei (View Comment):

    I Walton (View Comment):

    It has some very good people

    I agree with the rest of your comment, but here I think we’ve reached the point of “citation required”.

    Assumption. There have to be. Folks don’t know and it has a good image from TV programs so it recruits normal folks.

    At some point you can’t call folks that ignorant of or willfully blind regarding the Bureau’s leadership “good”.

    Never underestimate the ability of a self-reinforcing bubble culture to bend idealists to bad means and ends.  Idealists are the most vulnerable to being turned to becoming Police State Actors.   Add to that the strong culture of the FBI and the stage is set.  What was loose and inchoate, was given form during the Obama years and Eric Holder’s tenure at the top of the DOJ.   Those 8 years were critical for the final hollowing out of our national institutions.  A generation was replaced with true-believing Leftists who’d found a way to live well while “doing good” in their minds.  That’s how we got where we are.  The question is what’s next?  FBI delenda est is not a realistic strategy, as desirable as it may be.  I don’t think there are easy answers, but the journey of the thousand miles starts with a single step.  We’ve already started on that journey back, but who knows how long or what detours it will take.  

    • #13
  14. CACrabtree Coolidge
    CACrabtree
    @CACrabtree

    Ole Summers (View Comment):

    Cuellar is a member of a committee dealing with Azerbaijan. A trip taken by some members of the committee was called into question (dealing with who paid for it, etc) but Cuellar did not go on the trip. The other members were later cleared by the “ethics” committee because they claimed not to know who paid for it.

    There seems to be some other questions dealing with contributions from those who paid for the trip. That can be cleared up one way or the other.

    But Cuellar has always been a voice for strong borders and recently been outspoken on calling out this administration for the damage done to his district. As such, he has more or less become a go-to source by Fox News and is a constant brown face in defiance of open borders and an advocate for the damage done to the Hispanic community by that policy.

    Guilty or not, there seems to be a lot bigger and more damaging fish to fry if you is very concerned about political corruption. But with only weeks until the primary it provides the Dems the chance to remove Cuellar for a much more radical voice.

    Yeah, I saw in today’s paper that AOC is pushing Cisneros for all she’s worth.  Just a part of the choreography of the Democrats with AOC conducting the orchestra and the DOJ in a supporting role.

    • #14
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