And You Thought the FBI Was Out of Control

It is, but it's not the only part of the government that is out of control. DHS has a program gathering domestic intelligence — and virtually no one knows about it

For years, the Department of Homeland Security has run a virtually unknown program gathering domestic intelligence, one of many revelations in a wide-ranging tranche of internal documents reviewed by POLITICO.

Those documents also reveal that a significant number of employees in DHS’s intelligence office have raised concerns that the work they are doing could be illegal.

Could be?

And those employees of DHS who were worried that they were breaking the law, were also worried that the bosses of the division would retaliate against them if they said anything bad. Bureaucracies protect themselves, above everything, even the law.

“One individual said that FOD [Field Operations Division] leadership is ‘shady’ and ‘runs like a corrupt government,’” the document said, later suggesting that people who raise concerns could be punished with contentious assignments. “If you speak out, you’ll find yourself on the SW border or in Portland, recalled by FOD HQ, or moved,” it said. “If HQ finds out that you’ve spoken to others outside the Division (e.g. OCG, Ombuds), you’ll get in trouble.”

And apparently managers who DID retaliate faced no consequences.

"Like a corrupt government?" Remove the word "like" and you have a true statement.

Freedom was nice while it lasted.