Tea at Trianon: The FBI’s Silent Admission

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, January 5, 2025

The FBI’s Silent Admission

The Jan 6th pipe bomber was a federal asset. From Amuse on X:

The events of January 6 have been framed as an insurrection, an existential threat to democracy perpetrated by Trump supporters. This narrative has justified unprecedented lawfare against conservatives, including hundreds of arrests and convictions. Acknowledging that the pipe bomber might have been a federal asset would shatter this carefully cultivated narrative. It would lend credence to those who argue that January 6 was not just a failure of security but a political operation aimed at demonizing Trump supporters.
The FBI’s selective engagement with the investigation lends itself to this theory. For instance, the agency prioritized some leads while leaving others—such as key geofence data and surveillance footage—largely unexplored. They selectively shared fragments of information with oversight committees, stalling Congressional inquiries and avoiding accountability. These choices illustrate a deliberate strategy to control the narrative rather than pursue justice impartially. For example:
Congressional Stonewalling: The FBI failed to provide complete responses to multiple oversight requests, shielding critical details from public view.
Data Discrepancies: Claims of corrupted geofence data contradicted by cellular providers suggest the agency was more interested in excuses than solutions.
Delayed Transparency: Only after mounting pressure from congressional reports and the looming appointment of Kash Patel as FBI Director did the agency begin to release fragments of information.
These actions—or inactions—suggest an agency more concerned with protecting the government’s reputation than uncovering the truth. (Read more.)