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Glenn Greenwald: The FBI was right not to arrest Omar Mateen before the shooting
Washington Post ^ | June 17, 2016 | Glenn Greenwald

Posted on 06/17/2016 10:58:33 AM PDT by Zakeet

Citizens should not forfeit their rights if they haven't committed a crime.

The massacre at an Orlando LGBT club has predictably provoked the same reaction as past terror attacks: recriminations that authorities should have done more to stop it in advance, accompanied by demands for new police powers to prevent future ones. Blame-assigners immediately pointed to the FBI's investigation of the Orlando shooter, Omar Mateen. "The FBI closed this file because the Obama administration treats radical Islamic threats as common crimes," GOP Sen. Lindsey O. Graham argued on Fox News. "If we kept the file open and we saw what he was up to, I think we could have stopped it." Others cited core fundamental rights, demanding they be eroded. "Due process is what's killing us right now," proclaimed Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin about the FBI's inability to act more aggressively against Mateen.

Ever since the Sept. 11 attack almost 15 years ago, every act of perceived terror, and even thwarted ones, have triggered identical responses.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; US: Florida; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2016election; constitution; election2016; fbi; mateen; mateenfbi; newyork; orlando; orlandoterrorattack; terrorism; trump
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To: Georgia Girl 2

THEY DON’T HAVE THE MANPOWER to keep tabs, where have you been? They are admitting they are overwhelmed, and we know the political will to do the job is not there!


41 posted on 06/17/2016 11:29:39 AM PDT by IChing (Nuke Mecca already)
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To: Westbrook

Training with the Taliban? I had not seen that.


42 posted on 06/17/2016 11:34:19 AM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: wastoute

He’s making up the thing about FBI/DHS “knew” about it....I’ve seen a report that Mateen went to Afghanistan and received training there, but no report that the FBI knew of it....


43 posted on 06/17/2016 11:36:48 AM PDT by IChing (Nuke Mecca already)
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To: Moonman62

Find the X NY FBI head interview on Kelly file last night. BHO has tied the FBI hands


44 posted on 06/17/2016 11:37:18 AM PDT by hoosiermama (Trump is exposing the Fifth Column in the US)
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To: wastoute

....and it’s not like the FBI/our gov’t would even do their job anyway, even if they knew!


45 posted on 06/17/2016 11:38:11 AM PDT by IChing (Nuke Mecca already)
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To: Zakeet

The question is not if he should have been arrested, but why he was allowed to obtain guns.

The sole purpose of background checks is to prevent possibly/certainly dangerous people from obtaining guns.

He was crazy.

He was a wife-beater.

Either/both of those two should be sufficient to bar his purchases.

The FBI could have requested the gun dealer not to sell him a gun, even if they were legally unable to block a sale.


46 posted on 06/17/2016 11:38:13 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: HarleyLady27

Trump WILL win this HLady he is FLUSHING OUT all the pubbies that are really DEMS!!!!


47 posted on 06/17/2016 11:38:56 AM PDT by Trump Girl Kit Cat (Yosemite Sam raising hell)
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To: IChing

Yes what was I thinking? I lost it for a minute there and forgot what a worthless agency they are.


48 posted on 06/17/2016 11:39:23 AM PDT by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: Westbrook

According to some here on FR he would have been eligible to be President in 6 years.

Children of foreign nationals are NOT natural born citizens.


49 posted on 06/17/2016 11:39:37 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: Zakeet

Who said anything about arrest? Watch. Question. Tail. Visit the gunshop?

Another WaPo false narrative.


50 posted on 06/17/2016 11:40:05 AM PDT by Protect the Bill of Rights
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To: IChing

http://www.redflagnews.com/headlines/criminal-dhs-director-jeh-johnson-says-the-days-of-enforcing-immigration-law-in-the-united-states-are-over

The DHS imports trouble as fast as it can, but claims they don’t have the assets, manpower and money: IOW they can’t do their jobs policing masked illegals coming `out of the shadows’ to attack Trump rally attendees and perpetually disgruntled, lethal, muslim malcontents.
Good enough for government work.


51 posted on 06/17/2016 11:41:57 AM PDT by tumblindice (America's founding fathers: all armed conservatives.)
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To: Brian Griffin

There was NO record of his issues for a gun seller to reference, he had no charge or police report/record of domestic violence, she didn’t report it, no psychiatric history officially, please, people, get up to speed before spouting off


52 posted on 06/17/2016 11:43:49 AM PDT by IChing (Nuke Mecca already)
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To: wastoute

> Training with the Taliban? I had not seen that.

Can’t find it now, but I read an article on Sunday that said Omar Mateen had been in Afghanistan and had met with the Taliban, and that the FBI had suspected him of training with them there.


53 posted on 06/17/2016 11:44:39 AM PDT by Westbrook (Children do not divide your love, they multiply it)
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To: Zakeet

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3646566/Orlando-killer-Omar-Mateen-repeatedly-suspended-school.html


54 posted on 06/17/2016 11:45:23 AM PDT by Brian Griffin
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To: Trump Girl Kit Cat

I think what he did was announce that ‘On Monday I’m coming out with some information on Hillary’ knowing very well what was going to happen...

Hillary heard this, panicked and got ahold of either Barky or some of her friends in DHS; FBI; CIA; and had this ‘Orlando’ thing happen to take the heat off of her, problems with this is:

It all backfired; it brought out more articles tying her with foreign people, ISIS, Saudi, Iran, and it brought Barky out, then Trump gave his speech on Monday like he did, and Barky went wild...see how this works...now we know more about Hillary and Barky and the gun ban is going nowhere...


55 posted on 06/17/2016 11:45:28 AM PDT by HarleyLady27 ('THE FORCE AWAKENS!!!' Trump; Trump; Trump; Trump; 100%)
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To: tumblindice

Jeh Johnson says the mission of DHS is to “give voice to the plight of Muslims:”

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/02/dhs-secretary-jeh-johnson-we-in-the-administration-and-the-government-should-give-voice-to-the-plight-of-muslims


56 posted on 06/17/2016 11:46:43 AM PDT by IChing (Nuke Mecca already)
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To: bravo whiskey

Good point.

It looks like the only possible thing would be the drug question.

Maybe they should add some questions....

“Have you ever knowingly corresponded with, pledged allegiance to or given support to; enemies of the United States, groups or individuals deemed to be terrorists, members of ISIS, Al Qaeda, etc...”


57 posted on 06/17/2016 11:53:00 AM PDT by nitzy (We could have had a serious contender)
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To: IChing

He was borderline on lots of things that should have put him over the threshold. He was a ticking time-bomb. Lots of unanswered questions. Why did he get off? This administration’s Muslim sensitivity policies.


58 posted on 06/17/2016 11:54:13 AM PDT by DarthVader (Politicians govern out of self interest, Statesmen govern for a Vision greater than themselves)
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To: justlurking

I understand your point, and do not support giving law enforcement vast new powers for star-chamber investigations. But I am not convinced by Greenwald’s claim that the FBI handled this properly.

Greenwald writes that co-workers informed the FBI that Mateen openly proclaimed association with Al Qaeda and Hezbollah. So while investigating Mateen for connections to specific terrorists, the FBI is told that Mateen himself claimed to be associated with major terrorist organizations, yet they chose to close the case for lack of probable cause?

Could daddy’s involvement with the White House as a potential Taliban go-between had anything to do with closing the case? I would certainly like to see an inquiry into all communications between the DoJ/FBI/White House related to Mateen.


59 posted on 06/17/2016 11:56:58 AM PDT by Chewbarkah
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To: IChing

“There was NO record of his issues for a gun seller to reference, he had no charge or police report/record of domestic violence, she didn’t report it, no psychiatric history officially, please, people, get up to speed before spouting off”

It is the federal government that is supposed to be doing the checking.

There was a divorce. There would be a record of the divorce.

Do you think he didn’t try to fight his wife dumping him?

Do you think she explained why to the court?


60 posted on 06/17/2016 12:02:22 PM PDT by Brian Griffin
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