Monday, May 15, 2017

We Need A Cop

I tried to make the point last week, but I may have failed to be clear.  Let me not make that mistake again.  We need a cop running the FBI.

Michael Walsh writes a great post mortem at PJ Media.
Let’s cut right to the chase: James Comey should have been fired immediately following his disastrous press briefing last July, in which he candidly laid out the case against Hillary Clinton over her mishandling of classified information and then refused to recommend charges. Overstepping his authority while radiating sanctimony, arrogating power while clumsily intervening in the election, Comey deserved to be sacked on the spot.
When I watched that presser last July, the first thing that came to mind was that Comey was trying to lawyer his way through a cop's job.  He said words to the effect that no reasonable prosecutor would take the case, and that stunned me.

It's not a cop's job to worry about prosecution.  The job of a cop is to examine the evidence and satisfy the elements of the offense.  Every offence has elements, those parts of the law that tells an investigator that a crime has been committed.

That's not to say that a cop doesn't want to get it right.  He wants the prosecution to succeed, but once the elements of the crime are satisfied it becomes the prosecutors job to get the conviction.  If the cop does his job right, the prosecutor gets a case that is nearly ready to go to court.  The cop and the lawyer might work hand-in-hand on building a good case, but the lines of responsibility are clearly drawn.

Comey blurred those lines.  Which is why a lawyer is the worst possible choice as the head cop at the head cop-shop.  And, I'd bet that there are several very capable, very qualified cops who would be willing to take the Director's job at the Bureau.

Sheriff David Clarke, of Milwaukee comes immediately to mind.  From all indications, he's a great cop, with a simple message, and a strong sense of right-and-wrong.  I'm sure that there are dozens of guys around the country, capable administrators who understand the difference between a cop and a prosecutor, who could rebuild the reputation of the Bureau, give it a renewed focus, and serve the people of the United States honorably.

All the President needs to do is find that person.

4 comments:

Jonathan H said...

I always thought that it was odd that the decision to prosecute or not had been left to Comey, even though it was obvious after Lynch's 'secret' meeting with Bill Clinton that she couldn't make the decision. I assumed there had been some kind of private deal made to ensure he wouldn't indict Hilary before he was given the decision to make.
I agree that the FBI needs to be led by a cop/ law enforcement person who is familiar with the law, but as agency head they (usually) don't get involved in individual investigations; instead they need to be like any good manager - set the corporate tone, coordinate use of resources and run interference for their underlings so their underlings can do their job well.

Mike Silvius said...

I hear Sheriff Joe Arpaio is available....

Judy said...

Sheriff Joe isn't politically correct enough to even get out of committee much less get approve in either chamber of Congress. I'm sure there are individuals currently in the FBI who would make excellent directors. Sheriff David Clarke would be a move in the right direction, also. How about someone out of the US Marshall's office.

Anonymous said...

PawPaw, I second your nomination. I've been thinking Clarke would be great as Director. He'd draw some (metaphorical) fire, but so what? He looks damned near incorruptible, & he hasn't seemed to let what fame he's achieved (or suffers through) go to his head. I think he's an honest cop, and that above all else is what we need heading the FBI.
--Tennessee Budd