by the Editor, OSA Observer (9.11.2024)
Nearly a year has passed since I was released from the Federal prison system and put on probation due to my participation in the rally-turned-protest on January 6th. Despite the DOJ bringing nearly a decade of felony charges against me and the Biden administration deploying the FBI against myself (and indirectly my family), I hold no ill-will towards the FBI. This might seem strange or surprising to some, but I’ll explain why I feel the way I do.
When I was first tipped off the FBI was investigating me by someone in my extended professional circle, I immediately canceled my life as I knew it and sought out a lawyer. Years ago, I was advised by an attorney I interned for to never speak to law enforcement without a lawyer and so I took this advice I had learned years ago. During the aftermath of J6, I read that some J6 defendants had their homes stormed by armed agents and this caused their families’ much emotional distress. For this reason and along with, then, President-Elect Biden calling J6 defendants domestic terrorists is why I canceled my life.
What I mean by that is I gave up all my possessions, left everyone in my life, gave up my career and hit the road. If I was going to be arrested and treated like a terrorist, fine—but it would be on conditions that I had some control over and wouldn’t be when I was having dinner or asleep in my home. It would be on the road somewhere or at a campsite far away from my family.
After living as a homeless person for around eight months in an extremely rural area on the edge of civilization, the government finally announced to my lawyer what charges they were bringing against me and where I could self-surrender to the FBI.
My surrender to the FBI and shackling of hands and feet, booking and caging by the U.S. Marshalls was done in a strictly professional and not overly adversarial manner. Weeks later, before I would enter prison, my FBI debriefing was also conducted in a professional manner by the agents I spoke with. I gave them my account of January 6th, how I traveled alone to the rally that turned to protest along with my motivations for attending.
I was more fortunate than others. In one report, the FBI stole silver and cash from a J6 defendant. Another defendant I served time with had the FBI roll up on his home and the court later prevented his father (another J6 defendant) and him from being in the same place. A former government official I served time with showed me his legal paperwork which included a document proving the FBI destroyed evidence in his case. There are worse cases than these, but there are also cases like mine.
That being said, the reason why I am writing this article is to point out the FBI is a mixed bag, and I can’t hate them just because they were told to hunt me down and arrest me. I’ve been following the DOJ’s press releases since J6 and anyone perusing their website can see they still perform much needed work like busting agents of communist China operating in the United States.
Some commentators on the Right are suggesting if Trump is elected again, then we abolish the FBI. Personally, I think this would be an unwise decision given the volume of work they are putting in defending against foreign threats operating inside our country. However, and where I agree with some of these commentators is that the DOJ and FBI need a thorough cleaning of house. How can the American people trust the FBI if their lowest level field agents can’t be trusted with not stealing from people they are investigating or destroying evidence in favor of the government while on a salary provided for by the American taxpayer?
Old Stock American Observer 