The Mark Felt Four

Townhall.com Opinion Alert ^ | 6/09/2005 | Gary Aldrich

[wildbill]

The FBI is in the news again, and yet again, the news isn’t good. The legendary crime-fighting, spy-catching agency that J. Edgar Hoover founded can’t get a break.

First it was revealed that Mark Felt, the number two executive to Acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray, was “Deep Throat,” and that Felt was all but passing out official FBI FD-302’s, which are reports of interrogations with key witnesses in the Watergate case.

[wildbill]

Gary Aldrich, a former FBI agent, details why it isn't a good thing for top law enforcement officers to go outside the legal process and leak information for their own purposes.

[Donald Meaker]

Ann Coulter suggests that Felt was the earlier version of Richard Clarke.

[Enterprise]

In the time honored tradition of the picking of nits, it isn't Bernadine Doran, it's Bernardine Dohrn. Nits aside, this is a great article. (I that Aldrich is a lurker at FreeRepublic.)

[Enterprise]

Not to nitpick but perhaps it should read: (I hope Aldrich is a lurker at FreeRepublic.) Not nitpicking though.

[show me state]

In hindsight, President Nixon was correct in passing over Mark Felt for the position of FBI Director. For that we owe Nixon and his men a debt of gratitude, because if there is something worse than a corrupt politician, it is a corrupt bureaucrat with a badge and arrest powers.

Not a hero, just a corrupt bureaucrat.

[marty60]

Obviously Nixon knew the man should NEVER be trusted with the top FBI job.

[Tallguy]

...that Felt was all but passing out official FBI FD-302’s, which are reports of interrogations with key witnesses in the Watergate case.

I know we only have Woodward's word on this, but wasn't Deep Throat 'confirming' evidence that had already been gotten from 'other sources'. If this was true, "Handing out FD-302's" is a bit over-the-top (at least until more info comes to light).

[wildbill]

Actually, Woodward and Ben Bradlee have admitted that the leaker was guiding their investigation, not merely confirming it.

He would tell them that a line of attack was going to a dead end and that they should pursue a different line of investigation. He couldn't do that without naming names of people to contact and what info should be elicited from the contact. That information would have come straight from the FBI investigation--and should have gone to either Congress or a Grand Jury.

[CyberAnt]

The only thing "... worse than a corrupt politician, ... is a corrupt bureaucrat with a badge and arrest powers."

[Grampa Dave]

Gary Aldrich has some good insight to Feltgate.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Outstanding info, the situation at State is not totally dissimilar.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Meaning the DemonicRat Filibuster of John Bolton with info feed to them by State Insiders is really aimed at Bush...as well as the Downing Street Memo Crapola hearing to be held at Rep Conyers in the House.