Weaponization of government for political purposes
"Never in my lifetime did I think I will see an American law enforcement agency be run and weaponized like the FBI last evening. This is a frightening development in our modern political arena" – Ben Carson after the raid on Mar-a-Lago
Throughout my career, I was very involved in building many of the security programs now being weaponized against conservatives, so this whole situation is deeply personal. I spent over 20 years in the field of national security and am an expert in terrorism prevention programs.
On August 8, 2022, a swarm of FBI agents descended on Mar-a-Lago, the personal residence of former President Donald Trump. They executed a criminal search warrant, which is something that has never happened to a U.S. president in our nation's history. The Department of Justice went to a judge under seal so the affidavit supporting the warrant was not disclosed and is still unavailable to the public. Several boxes of information were removed from the home, and Trump's attorneys were not allowed to escort the agents during the raid. This is just the latest in a string of events, signaling to the American people that the federal government's power is being weaponized for political purposes.
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It all began in 2016 when the FBI began surveillance of a Trump campaign advisor Carter Page based on falsified evidence provided to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). The FBI also conducted an improper investigation of the four-star general and former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Michael Flynn. He gave 40 years of his life serving in the U.S. military but was indicted on an obscure law prohibiting unauthorized diplomatic contact. Subsequently, Trump was accused of persuading Ukrainian President Zelensky to initiate investigations into the Biden family and was brought up for impeachment. Despite the public smearing and costly legal defense of all those involved, as well as the needless waste of taxpayer dollars, both the FBI and the DOJ were forced to publicly apologize for misleading the FISC in the surveillance of Carter Page, who was never charged with a crime. All charges were also dropped against General Flynn after four devastating years. Though Trump was impeached along party lines through Congress, the Senate court ultimately voted to acquit him of the charges.
Once installed into power after the contentious 2020 election, the militant Left continued its witch hunt against conservatives. We saw parents suddenly labeled as domestic terrorists for passionately opposing the indoctrination and over-sexualization of their children. Next, it was the January 6 trials that landed people like Dr. Simone Gold, a renowned doctor and lawyer, in prison for entering the Capitol and taking pictures. Moreover, the whole country witnessed the despicable lack of respect for the sanctity of the Supreme Court after overturning Roe vs. Wade.
Protestors were allowed to gather outside justices' homes in an attempt to intimidate them, with minimal police interference. Justice Kavanaugh thankfully survived an attempted assassination plot; however, dozens of pregnancy centers were vandalized, and several burned to the ground. Most recently, the new Inflation Reduction Act authorized 87,000 new IRS agents who must be willing to use deadly force if necessary. We cannot ignore that the target of their increased capacity will most likely be opponents of the militant Left's agenda — not only conservatives but also churches and organizations that support biblical values in all segments of our society.
The intention of the homeland security apparatus created after 9/11 was to prevent foreign-led terrorism perpetuated against U.S. interests. Whether U.S. soldiers fought overseas to capture or kill known terrorists or prevention programs were put in place in the U.S., the underlying principle was stopping foreign recruitment of Americans for terrorist attacks against U.S. interests, either domestic or overseas.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court provides investigatory powers to the government against foreign threats and is without defense counsel review to protect top-secret national security information. It was never intended that these programs would be used to stop the constitutionally protected activities of Americans. It is very problematic when counter-terrorism resources are repurposed to crush American political opponents.
I recall meetings with representatives from social media giants like Google and Facebook, where we pleaded with them to remove the accounts of suspected foreign terror recruiters. At the time, they were extremely hesitant about interfering in the free speech arena. They were uncomfortable about making a judgment call on who was a potential terrorist. They did not want to be seen as an arm of the U.S. government, yet over time, their attitude clearly changed. Now, these same social media giants close the accounts of anyone they ideologically disagree with. Consequently, supporters of international terrorism, like members of the Iranian government, have unfettered ability to post online, but people who support the right to life, oppose forced vaccines, or, dare I say, are Trump supporters, get regularly banned or suspended.
I remember how libertarians used to warn against the overreach of law enforcement caused by the new clandestine national security network and the potential for abuse. Many of us experts didn't believe them, but now we see that danger coming to pass. The perilous consequence of this abuse of power is dividing our country.
Though the enemy used to be just foreign actors intent to harm Americans, the new public enemy appears to be American conservatives and people who hold biblical values. Let's hope Congressional leaders will come together and investigate the miscarriages of justice and the erosion of our constitutionally protected right to religious freedom, free speech, and political opposition.
For believers, though there are dark days ahead of us, we must always remember our trust and our hope is never in earthly things. Our faith and trust are only in our God, our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are invincible until God calls us home. We all have an expiration date, and we won't live one minute more or less. That surety in God and His protection should be a great source of comfort, regardless of what happens in the world around us. "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand'" (Isaiah 41:10).
Hedieh Mirahmadi was a devout Muslim for two decades working in the field of national security before she experienced the redemptive power of Jesus Christ and has a new passion for sharing the Gospel. She dedicates herself full-time to Resurrect Ministry, an online resource that harnesses the power of the Internet to make salvation through Christ available to people of all nations, and her daily podcast LivingFearlessDevotional.com.
