If the FBI is seriously churning out such dodgy "analysis" as this--and, as I say, you really have to read it--the possiblity has to be considered that your average FBI employee is capable of believing just about anything. In fact, if you read the rantings of a non-average former FBI employee like Andrew McCabe--who inspired such loyalty on the 7th floor of the J. Edgar Hoover Building--it's hard to avoid that conclusion. (Is It Possible The FBI Genuinely Believed The Russia Hoax?)
And now ...
I've heard of this knucklehead Frank Figliuzzi before, but this is amazing. First, this is who Figliuzzi is:
Cesare Frank Figliuzzi is the former Assistant Director for Counterintelligence at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Figliuzzi was previously the Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Cleveland Division which includes all of northern Ohio, and the major cities of Cleveland, Toledo, Youngstown, Akron, and Canton. Following his FBI service, Figliuzzi joined General Electric and served for five years as Assistant Chief Security Officer for investigations, insider threat, workplace violence prevention, and special event security for GE's 300,000 employees in 180 countries. He is currently a National Security Contributor for NBC News.
Figliuzzi earned a Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature from Fairfield University. Mr. Figliuzzi also completed the Harvard University National Security Program for Senior Executives in Government at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Figliuzzi joined the FBI as a Special Agent in August 1987 and has worked for the FBI in the Atlanta, Washington, D.C., headquarters, San Francisco, Miami, and Cleveland offices. He was the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Field Office, the FBI's fifth largest office. Mr. Figliuzzi also served as the FBI's Chief Inspector from December 2005 until his appointment as head of the Cleveland Division. As Assistant Director, he was based at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and worked closely with other government executives.
Impressive credentials, right?
So, now, we learn via Zerohedge that, according to Figliuzzi, Trump Ordered Flags Flown At Half-Staff "To Honor Hitler". Here's what the guest author at Zerohedge had to say:
In another bizarre performance on NBC news programming, former FBI Assistant Director for Counterterrorism Frank Figliuzzi claimed that President Trump may have ordered flags flown at half staff not to honor the victims of the Dayton and El Paso shootings, but rather to celebrate Adolf Hitler.
Figliuzzi explained the reasoning behind his conspiracy theory, claiming that the date the flag is to be at half staff until, August 8 (8/8), is a neo-nazi calling sign because the eighth letter of the alphabet is H, which stands for Hitler, and 8/8 means ‘Heil Hitler.’
“The president’s either getting really good advice and rejecting it, or he’s getting really bad advice. We have to understand the adversary and the threat we’re dealing with, and if we don’t understand how they think we’ll never understand how to counter them, so it’s the little things and the language and messaging that matters.
“The president says that we will fly our flags at half-mast until August 8, that’s 8/8. Now I’m not going to imply that he did this deliberately, but I am using it as an example of the ignorance of the adversary that’s being demonstrated by the White House. The numbers 8/8 are very significant in the neo-Nazi and the white supremacy movement. Why? Because the letter ‘H’ is the eighth letter of the alphabet, and to them, the numbers 8/8 stand for ‘Heil Hitler.'
“So we’re going to be raising the flag back up at dusk on 8/8. No one’s thinking about this. No one’s giving the advice, or he’s rejecting the advice."
At a minimum, Figliuzzi is absolutely stating that, when the flags go back up all the way on 8/8, neo-Nazis across the fruited plain will see the flags going up as tantamount to shouting out a big "Heil HItler!" Figliuzzi further claims that
1) Either Trump is getting "really good advice" (Don't give a shoutout to Hitler!) and is rejecting that good advice: Whaddaya mean don't give a shoutout to Hitler? Of course I will! or
2) Trump is getting "really bad advice" (Hey, why not give a shoutout to HItler?) and is embracing that really bad advice: Hey, yeah, great idea! or
3) Maybe no one offered any advice at all--and Trump simply acted on his instincts!
Bottom line: Trump must be a neo-Nazi. Perfectly clear, right?
It sure makes you wonder, doesn't it? If a nut like Figliuzzi, with all those impressive credentials, rose high enough to run CI for the FBI, who's to say there aren't other nutjobs near the top of the FBI at this very moment? The fact that Andy McCabe rose even higher than Figliuzzi while espousing Russia Hoax conspiracy theories certainly lends credence to that possibility. I suppose you can look at it this way: The nation survived Figliuzzi and McCabe serving as a High Bureau Officials for all those years in the past, so we'll probably continue to muddle through somehow.
Still, isn't the FBI facing a physician-heal-thyself sort of situation? Before ridding the land of conspiracy theorists--or at least redflagging them or having them involuntarily committed--shouldn't the FBI be taking a look among its own ranks? I'm looking at you, Chris Wray!
UPDATE: sundance weighs in, and takes the hanging curveball out:
If you ever wondered why the FBI would ignore warnings from Russia about the Boston Marathon bombers; or if you ever wondered how the FBI could overlook the warnings from local residents about the San Bernardino terrorists; or if you ever wondered how and why the FBI would ignore reports from the Florida sheriff about the Pulse Nightclub terrorist; or if you ever wondered why the FBI ignored the repeated warnings about the Parkland shooter…. well, here’s the answer. Try to fathom this focused stupidity.
If only Figliuzzi were still an FBI employee. Then Democrats could say he's an example of how Trump has driven all FBI agents insane - so impeach!
ReplyDeleteBut, nope. Democrats are going to make Figliuzzi disappear from TV now.
Nevertheless, scary to think that this is the quality of "thinking" going on near the top of our intel agencies.
DeleteNot only CI.gov. This guy was responsible for GE security world-wide. If I were a share holder I would be asking manage if possibly they could explain this lunacy? NBC hiring him is self-explanatory.
DeleteEver mounting evidence that leftism is a mental illness - Realis Mundi Dysphoria.
Tom S.
Good points!
Delete"NBC hiring him is self-explanatory." LOL! -MR
DeleteAs a bit of trivia, the reference to 88/HH/Heil Hilter is a prominent plot element in the recently released movie "The Aftermath" starring Keira Knightley. Perhaps Herr Figliuzzi is a film buff.
ReplyDeleteHey, here's something to think about re leaking classified info. An example of a leak that, to my mind, should be prosecutable under 18 USC 798 is the leak to the WaPo of Flynn's conversation with Kislyak. That would fit like this:
Delete(a) Whoever knowingly and willfully communicates, furnishes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to an unauthorized person, or publishes, or uses in any manner prejudicial to the safety or interest of the United States or for the benefit of any foreign government to the detriment of the United States any classified information—
...
(3) concerning the communication intelligence activities of the United States or any foreign government; or
(4) obtained by the processes of communication intelligence from the communications of any foreign government, knowing the same to have been obtained by such processes—
I don't know the status of that investigation, but I think I heard that Durham is interested.
Must be something in the water.
ReplyDeleteI watched a clip of him on Zerohedge and I noticed how much and quickly he blinked. I don't know if this means anything but it stood out.
I think it means he's a nut.
DeleteI have a lot of my own sayings/maxims, etc., one of which is an adaptation of “the fish rots from the head down” and states “corruption above begets corruption below.” A further adaptation is that corruption above begets incompetence below, and this seems to be a case of at least this latter form, and more likely a case of the former, as well. That is, corruption above has begotten both corruption and incompetence below, and this Figliuzzi clown seems to be one more in an endless string of examples.
ReplyDeleteCorrupt leaders need “team players” below them more than they need competence, and since the more competent people tend not to need to coverup for corrupt bosses in order to make it in life, the pool of applicants who ARE willing to do so tends to be populated with the less competent. When an organization is led by corrupt people long enough, this corruption-driven incompetence becomes endemic, and this is probably much of what we’ve been witnessing in all corners of our government for a good long while now.
We street agents had some sayings/maxims, and one them was: the only qualification needed for administrative advancement is a willingness to relocate. Perhaps unfair, but there's truth in most such maxims and Figliuzzi would certainly be Exhibit A for that one.
DeleteBC makes good points above. Not to belabor it, but The Peter Principle of rising to one's level of incompetence covers much of that. Or, I should say, what BC describes are elements that result in the rise to one's level of incompetence, i.e. a certain organizational necessity or imperative that allows or causes such to occur.
DeleteRegarding the issue of administrative advancement, many see it at a trade-off as between their personal and/or professional integrity and some form of organizational/political expediency.
In the Russia hoax and coup, we've seen a great number pf people compromise their integrity in return for some form of expediency. If there's no price to be paid for such compromises, it will become common--if it's not already.
To prove you aren't a Nazi, you will have to junk your classic Oldsmobiles and all your standard pianos.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Someone will have to explain that to me.
DeleteIf you float (i.e. don't drown) you are a witch! -MR
DeleteOh, and then we have to burn you!
DeleteOlds 88s and the standard piano has 88 keys.
DeleteOMG! Brilliant! If Trump starts talking about either then we'll know for sure!
DeleteMy grandmother had a mid-60s Oldsmobile Super 88...I wonder if that means she was secretly a...
DeleteThen there's this - https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/08/07/elites-kill-deplorables-in-new-horror-film-the-hunt/
ReplyDeleteTo think that this is a rational narrative to illustrate says much about the mental state of the left. On the other hand, it is almost taken from headlines in its honesty.
Tom S.