This week, many media outlets and journalists have made comparisons between the firing of FBI director James Comey and the “Saturday Night Massacre,” when Richard Nixon fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox on October 20, 1973.  The two events differ in many ways, the most important being the refusal of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to carry out Nixon’s order to fire Cox.  Both resigned rather than participate in this presidential obstruction of justice.  (HISTORICAL NOTE:  The Department of Justice staffer who eventually dismissed Cox was none other than (drum roll) Solicitor General Robert Bork.  Many, myself included, believe this act of putting career before country was the real reason the United States Senate rejected Bork’s appointment to the Supreme Court.)

Which leads to the question, “Didn’t Comrade Trump learn ANYTHING from Watergate?” So far,  the focus has been on a single action, someone firing the person who is heading an investigation in which that someone is a target.  A more important lesson which Trump missed is, “You don’t fornicate with the FBI.”  While Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward deserve a lot of credit for their tenacious pursuit of the truth during the Watergate era, they were helped by a then anonymous source referred to only as “Deep Throat.”  Until May 31 2005, many believed Deep Throat was a composite of several sources Wood/Stein (as they were called by Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee) used to assemble the various pieces of the puzzle which led to Nixon’s resignation.

As we now know, Deep Throat was then FBI associate director Mark Felt.  By virtue of his position, Felt had access to everything related to the agency’s investigation of the Watergate break-in.  In fact, the FBI agent in charge of the investigation Charles Nuzum reported directly to Felt.  When Felt authorized his attorney John D. O’Connor to reveal his role in Watergate, the news was greeted with mixed reactions.  While many viewed him as a heroic whistle blower who put country first, some questioned why he did not go to the grand jury rather than leak information to reporters.  One explanation was Felt’s loyalty to the FBI, the institution he had served since January 1942.  He was aware the White House had tried to pull acting FBI Director L. Patrick Gray into the cover-up. (Sound familiar?)  After Gray shared his concerns about the cover-up with the Senate Watergate Committee, White House Counsel John Ehrlichman was recorded telling John Dean that Gray “should be left to slowly, slowly twist in the wind.”

The lesson?  For FBI agents and staff, the integrity of their organization is sacrosanct.   As reported by CNN, “The Comey firing sends shock waves through the FBI rank-and-file.” (CNN/May 10, 2017)  Acting Director Andrew McCabe confirmed as much during his May 11 public testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

I can tell you that I hold Director Comey in the absolute highest regard. I have the highest respect for his considerable abilities and his integrity and it has been the greatest privilege and honor in my professional life to work with him. I can tell you also that Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does until this day.

So, should we hope there is a another “deep throat” inside the halls of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, motivated as Mark Felt was, to ensure Americans the FBI is still staffed by “untouchables?”  I’m not sure we need one.  Why?  To answer that question I turn to another Trump adversary, late night talk show host Stephen Colbert.  During his 2011 commencement address at Northwestern University, Colbert told the students:

Life is like improv.  You never know what is going to happen next.  And most of the time, you’re just pulling stuff out of your ass.

That certainly describes the behavior exhibited by the current White House occupant.  Who needs the next “deep throat?”  We have the ultimate source whose damning evidence comes from his own, much lower body cavity.

DAILY POSTSCRIPT

This new addition to Deprogramming101 is designed to highlight an event or observation that does not warrant a full article.

Donald Trump told us the reason he accepted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s resignation was his misleading the vice-president which proved embarrassing to Mike Pence.  Flynn’s resignation letter states, “I inadvertently briefed the vice-president-elect with incomplete information concerning my phone calls with the Russian ambassador.”  There was no mention of Flynn’s “underlying behavior” referred to by former acting Attorney General Sally Yates on May 8, 2017.

Therefore, if merely lying to the vice-president and embarrassing him warrants removal from office, then I anxiously await Trump’s resignation letter which will include the following.  “I inadvertently briefed the vice-president with incomplete and inaccurate information concerning the firing of James Comey.”

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP