Locked and Loaded

First in a series on the FBI; WORLD magazine

     "When Mark opened the door, agents swarmed in, weapons aimed at Mark and Ryan-Marie. One told Mark he was under arrest while another handcuffed him."

     "Enter the FBI. It boasts of sweeping authority in many areas, from domestic terrorism to civil rights. It also can apply for warrants to wiretap American citizens set up by FISA. The FBI could inflict enormous harm if weaponized for political ends. 

     "Critics say that's already happened. Journalist Matt Taibbi released documents provided by Twitter CEO Elon Musk. Emails between formeer Twitter execs and govt officials show the company honoring requests to censor content and users. The FBI reportedly paid Twitter $3.4 million to review requests for election-related information etc.

     "After dragging Mark Houck from his home, agents chained him to a table for about 4 hours. Houck's children are still processing the trauma. Their 4- and 6-year-olds don't understand how their daddy was taken away in handcuffs by men with guns. 

     "Retired agents say the FBI is both politicized and weaponized. They trace these problems to the reorganization by former Director Robert Mueller after 9/11. Citing intelligence failures leading up to the attacks, critics demanded reform. Mueller decided the answer was centralized control from Washinton, DC."

Tomorrow: HQ knows better...?