Mike Pence doesn’t get it. That’s my response to his recent comments on Fox News regarding DOJ and FBI corruption.
In the wake of John Durham’s report which showed gross abuses of power within the nation’s top law enforcement agency, Pence stated to Kayleigh McEnany that “we’re going to clean house across all the senior levels of the Department of Justice and the FBI.”
Why is that a problem? I’ll get there, but first, here’s the clip for context.
As President, I promise you, we're going clean house across all the senior levels of the Department of Justice and the FBI, and we’re going assemble a group of men and women of integrity that are respected on both sides of the aisle for their dedication to equal treatment under… pic.twitter.com/OzzDmxhJ5X
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) June 21, 2023
Pence apparently still thinks it’s 2017, when everyone thought simply firing James Comey would fix what ailed the FBI. It’s not 2017 anymore, though, and it has long been obvious that the rot runs far deeper than just the “senior levels” of leadership.
Far from just a problem with top-level political appointees as Pence suggests, the FBI has shown itself to be corrupt all the way down to the field agent level. The abuses are numerous, from holding a pro-life author at gunpoint in front of his kids to agents helping to cover up the Larry Nassar scandal. Never mind all the unauthorized surveillance that has happened throughout the bureau. The issues go much further than just FBI Dir. Christopher Wray’s office, though he is a part of the problem and certainly needs to be fired.
Pence is stuck in a mindset that continues to believe that the rank-and-file of the FBI are still just clean-cut, hard-working individuals looking to go a good job. Yet, we continue to be inundated with evidence that counters that notion. Any Republican candidate for president in 2024 that doesn’t recognize that and sees a need for mass firing across all levels of the DOJ and FBI is not equipped to do what is necessary.
As a comparison, Ron DeSantis, another 2024 hopeful, has released a plan to break up the DOJ and FBI and reorganize it completely, including via relocation. That’s the kind of far-reaching action that is needed. Where is Pence’s plan to do anything similar? Because if all he plans on doing is replacing a few senior-level officials, nothing is going to change. Heck, Pence isn’t even directly saying he’ll fire Wray, which should be a prerequisite for any GOP voter when the primaries start (I believe DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy are the only candidates so far to make that direct pledge).
Someone explain to me why Pence is running. What does he bring to the table that’s unique enough to justify his run? Even if one prefers Donald Trump, for example, you can at least look at DeSantis and say that he brings something different when it comes to how he approaches cultural battles. Pence is just a warmed-up version of the 2012 GOP, and there’s no appetite for that.
Perhaps he’ll prove me wrong and come out more strongly on some of these important issues. Until he does, though, I’ve got no interest in his candidacy, and I don’t think others should either.
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