"I helped destroy the people". What a chilling expression of seething anger! FBI idealistic agent, Terry Albury reflected his actions and grew so disillusioned that he expressed his willingness to confess! In this context I recall another moral and religious great to remain undying in the American history, Desmond Doss, a devout seventh day Adventist. He never carried gun because he believed his religion teaches him not to kill although he joined army in 1944 only to defend his country against invasion by Japan, but only carried rescue and nursing braving his own life in a great risk! Frankly speaking, I asked myself, asked the scholars, red and researched with great rigor to exact the fruits of of war, so fervently transacted in the talk and treaty in view of installing benign relationship among world- states, but I found the notion, 'war bring forth peace' ensue on nothing but umpteen of vengeful hydra headed nemesis! It is said the makers of the war were a nexus of a few overambitious leaders provably guided by greed of power, pomp and privilege over principles! What about million of combatants from the ordinary? They were engaged in a fatal field to earn merely bread and butter for their family. "I object to violence because when it appears to do good the good is only temporary the evil it does is permanent".- Mahatma(noble soul) Gandhi.
16
Mr Albury, Thank you for your courage.
Have you considered how deep the rabbit hole goes?
26
Thank you Mr. Albury, for your service to our country. I'm not a Muslim, I'm not black, but what is done to any segment of the US population by government agencies that have impunity could easily be done to me, or to members of any group.
Racism and xenophobia among those who are supposed to keep the nation peaceful and secure certainly exacerbate abuses like the ones Mr. Albury revealed. It is terribly discouraging to see, as we have in the past five years especially, how deeply rooted both are in many people who live in this country.
The drift toward strongmen and strong-arm tactics is ever present in any government. The men who designed ours were well aware of that potential. It's extremely difficult to maintain a free society and a true democracy (of the people, by the people, for the people). Doing so demands that we shine light into all the dark corners of government to ensure that the kinds of abuses Ms. Reitman wrote about don't survive. Education is our best, maybe our only, hope.
35
Really eye-opening, for me. Mind you I always suspected the Government (including Government Agencies, like the FBI and CIA) of fabrications and lies. Mine was a gut feeling, This affirmation comes from the horse's mouth.
I vote for a this year's Nobel Prize for Mr Albury and Janet Reitman.
26
Thanks you. This article is extremely well-done and extremely disturbing to someone who dedicted her 34+ year career to being a federal civil servant.
27
Mr. Albury, thank you for your service. You chose to take seriously your oath to uphold and defend the Constitution at great personal cost.
49
My oh my! This is a bombshell article that I am glad I was able to read in full. The content of the article is not new to me in any way as I am aware of how law enforcement communities have over-policing tendencies; especially after an international or domestic attack. However, what struck me the most are the “thick-files” of information that is forever endowed to an informant, someone who fits the bill of a terrorist, or someone who the FBI briefly looked into. This content of information, specifically for those who look the part, is dangerous as it concerns the constitutional rights of people on the basis of race and religion. This system of tracking is no different than the capabilities the NSA has when it comes to facial-recognition. And yet, in order for people to go to their destination they must pass the eye-test in an airport. (The woman who was stopped coming from Kenya, as mentioned in the article).
Although this article carefully towed the line between allowing readers to have an independent judgement and giving us the moral consequences of the FBI and broader governments’ actions, there’s not much that will change. The term “national security” or “best interest of the United States,” have become inundated with the blanket immunity of any agencies effort to pursue their mission. The long term solution could be a check on intelligence agencies powers but also greater oversight into presidential wartime powers.
16
Albury should have his conviction pardoned and erased by the President. He should then be given a position in the DOJ where his lifetime of knowledge and experience who benefit the American people.
55
I’m not ignorant to the fact that the systems set in place (from the beginning!) are utterly rife with corruption. This article, nonetheless, terrified me. Is there no justice in this world? How are we regressing in this country? Why is there so much hatred for those who are “different”?
30
I was told I would be put on a no-fly list after a truly small conflict with a flight attendent (I tried to use the head while pilot out of the cockpit -- which of course I was not aware of -- and that freaked out the entire crew). When I called the FAA to get some info, the obviously older and more experienced agent there called the entire situation "a lot of BullShxx" and expressed his anger and frustration that first, the FAA had been put under DHS, and then that he no longer had access to the FAA files regarding the no-fly list. He promised to keep trying to find out if I were on the no-fly list, and contacted me regularly with the same news: no access to info, no way to know if I were indeed on the no-fly list.
After six months we both gave up; I had a lot of trepidation the next time i had to fly; nothing happened, so I just put the entire episode out of my mind until I just read this important and honestly tragic piece.
I'm an American citizen and got spooked by the absurdity of it all; I cannot begin to imagine the terror of an innocent middle-eastern traveller caught up in this Nazi-like network.
25
Let's be honest. Even on the Democratic side of the divide, the U.S. government is disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. Snowdon, Albury and others show us the seamy side of the U.S. and they are mocked and sentenced to prison. Even under Obama, the constitutional scholar. What a country. What a country. How embarrassing. I fear for our future. I am no radical, but then neither were they.
26
Somewhere between the FBI and other government organizations running clandestine anti-terrorist programs for no good reason other than racism and xenophobia, and the memory of two airliners destroying the twin towers lies the reality and the truth. It is easy to sit here in the safety of our homes on a Sunday morning and vent about our outrage for the excesses of the system that provides that safety. But, in the end, there is a need for a wall, and a need for those men guarding it. Can we handle that truth? Did it, in this case, go too far? Yes. Yet it would be equally irresponsible to do nothing. Another imperfect solution in our imperfect world.
3
@4eyedbuzzard these “solutions” are diametrically opposed to our espoused reason for being a country. When everything we supposedly stand for is violated for the purpose of safeguarding those valued rights, we no longer have them. “You can have freedom or you can have safety, but you can’t have both”, or something like it was said by someone way brighter and braver than I.
13
We have not had an attack since 911 which no one would have believed at the time. Over zealous , yes, it's an imperfect world.
4
Every democracy needs people of conscience like Mr Albury. Any activity shrouded in secrecy is constantly vulnerable to corruption and abuse of power. Without persons of conscience, any state can veer towards becoming a police state.
25
There's an old saying that bad cases make bad laws.
This story shows how true that is.
9
I had a US citizen coworker in 2014 who told me he'd get stopped by CPB every time he visited extended family in Pakistan. I was incensed when I heard this, I asked how do you put up with that. He just shrugged. It really made me sad.
We need a new law to protect whistleblowers. The crux of the law is the government would have to first prove, in a court of law, that revealed material was of constitutional actions. If the government can make that case, then they can separately charge someone with crimes.
We need way more Albury's, Snowden's, etc because there will be a more competent "Trump" in the future and we need accountability of these three letter agencies.
18
The "Class Photos" from the Bureau Offices are very telling. These people don't blend in with the communities where they embed themselves. I am tired of government representatives like these, in respectable positions, lying to the public. The FBI Manual should be a public document. Every citizen should have access to a Hotline Journalist as a first line of defense without having to make an extraordinary effort to contact The Intercept. I am looking forward to the missing parts of the 9/11 report that the Biden Administration promises to release. We were all witness to that horrific crime. But then we were asked to blindly trust the US government that went on a senseless killing spree in our names for over 20 years against the wrong targets, the vast majority of whome were innocent men, women, and children. A large share of the world's population absurbly lost their lives and paid the price for the 9/11 they knew nothing about. All there is to show for it now are fields of abandoned military rubbish dumped on a poor country in a rush for the exits. If we can't trust that our government employees are not lying to us, lying is greenlighted to the general population. That's how Trump ended up running the Oval Office. Now he fittingly leads the GOP. This culture has been continously refreshed with lies and fear for as long as I can remember. Thank you for warning us that this agency targets minorities and lies to them,
and for telling us that bravery, though rare, still exists.
24
For majority of the readers is something they read, and for others including me it’s an experience we cop to live with.
27
Over the past 20 years, many insiders like Albury have risked their careers and freedom to expose America's blatant disregard for domestic and international laws and Constitutionally protected rights, all perpetuated under the guise of keeping the country safe.
They have pulled back the curtain to reveal the truth about American hypocrisy, that while we publicly condemn and impose sanctions on countries that engage in torture, religious intolerance and surveillance on their own citizens, we've secretly done the same. The problem is that even though the American people have been made aware of what our govt has done, there has been little to no backlash or demand for accountability.
The US has been backsliding for close to 2 decades and until we start electing candidates that will put an end to so called "war on terror" policies and protect personal freedoms, we'll be looking authoritarianism in the face.
53
@CM four decades. It began with Reagan.
18
I hope Terry Albury realizes that his 4 years imprisonment will slowly open the door to fair and respectful treatment of Muslims and others, who are considered threats because of the origin of their birth or country. Unfortunately, it's going to be a very slow process, but it's thanks to the courage and integrity (and financial sacrifice) of men like Albury, that others (or most likely, their children, because it will take a couple of generations for change to take place) will be treated as if "all men are created equal."
38
Excellent article but, what I'm most appalled about is the poor design of these systems. Why does it require effort to close a case? It should be the other way around. Every certain term, a formal effort (not just paper pushing) should be required to justify keeping a case open, otherwise it expires. The inherent asymmetry on the value placed on the potential consequences on both sides of the equation (insiders vs the rest) should be enough to keep our attention focused on this issue.
21
@JC
"Excellent article but, what I'm most appalled about is the poor design of these systems."
I'd like to see more info on cases that the FBI flubbed
investigated. For example, the first bombing of the
World Trade Center didn't seem extensively investigated and that was a place that could have netted a lot of information that could have, potentially, prevented 9/11.
There was also the case of the Tsarnov brothers who were the Boston Marathon bombers who were once on the FBI radar but fell off.
Maybe, there was extensive investigations on these and
other failures but I don't think they have been reported to the public. It would be welcome information to begin a
public discussion and releasing this data could keep the FBI on their toes. The FBI seems to over-investigate some
cases by intimidating some to become informants and let other promising cases fall by the wayside.
2
You think people are too cynical about our government. Then comes this careful story about a man who turns out to be an American hero because the FBI, a trusted law enforcement agency, was captured by...power racism and tactics both more stupid and more immoral than a cynic could imagine. Thank you NYT for bringing this story and thank you Albury for you courage and sense of morality. Now i hope the country, like me, sees things differently.
82
If only the FBI would thoroughly investigate our home grown terrorists with the same fervor they do to minorities. If only........
76
@Grandma point taken. But I did notice that the terrorists who got popped for trying to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer complained that the were led on by undercover FBI agents. Seems they have the same bag of tricks for all.
11
Feel free to deduct next month's subscription fee from my credit card, New York Times. Mr. Albury, thank you for the truth.
26
So a black cop used his power to discriminate against brown people. Maybe it's the position, not the race, of the perpetrator of these kinds of crimes of power we should pay attention to.
10
@Yep, except that he realized what he was doing and revealed it. That takes a certain type of courage most of us don’t have.
10
@Yep maybe it’s the institutional brainwashing. Growing up I used to think the FBI was just wonderful. And Silence of the Lambs was a great movie. We get tons of propaganda poured on us in the form of intertainment.
7
What Terry Albury revealed is just the tip of the iceberg.
37
I want to know how much this nonsense -- and the creation of paranoia and ruining of various lives costs in dollars and cents. The US government uses private corporations as well to hire people to read foreign newspaper looking for "terrorists." Pinkerton?? Gig economy with a security clearance. I have once 55 years ago and within the last five been interviewed by the FBI regarding security clearances-- for a high school friend doing clerical work and for a friend doing translation. The first time round, the FBI agent unannounced arrived at my apt. door... to interview me.. Second time round we met at Starbucks. Actually, neither friend would have been capable of memorizing any document jeopardizing "American Security." airheads both -- nor would they have the slightest interest in whatever it is constitutes American security.
I am simply disgusted by the nonsense and the waste.. and BTW what is most apparent from the photos is the lack of gender and racial diversity in the FBI. Is a requirement that one be a white male -- preferably a bit paranoid and autocratic in behaviour? It would seem. Follows rules.. and the total travesty of Guantanamo... thanks Obama. and Trump.
31
Is it still illegal to lie to the FBI if they lie to you??
18
Starting in the 60's with J Edgar's war on domestic terrorist (i.e. the war against those that opposed the racist power structure) the FBI has never changed from it's original subliminal racism. Of course management is statistically driven. Even, his denial of the existence of the"Mafia" has carried over, until recently, the existence of white supremacists terrorist organizations.
16
I'm afraid articles like this justify to terrorists that the United States is a corrupt and disorganized country and that seeing the USA as a global enemy, or threat to their religion, is justified. Publicly airing dirty laundry has the extra impact of being used as data for others that live outside of this country.
6
@Adam I wonder if you would have the same sentiments if it happened to you. When it happens to you (as it did to me), everything changes about the concept we believe the US to be. It is not an anomaly. It is commonplace and it needs to be known. Too many of us know that when it comes to the federal DOJ, there is no such thing as fairness or innocent until proven guilty. Hopefully, you'll never have to walk in those shoes, but try and understand the perspective of those who have.
30
Quite the opposite. Articles like this demonstrate that the USA is still, on occasion, a place where the principle that no one is above the law can hold.
25
How naive of you! Ever watch daily broadcasts of NHK or DW or BBCWorld news ( all on my PBS Los Angeles stations) All foreign nations discuss USA immoral actions but find it is less than most diverse nations. Most modern nations ARE diversifying their nations because of our success! New Zealand, Netherlands and even Cuba has taken in decades of war refugees and now Syrian and Afghan ones. While USA is taking in less.
These foreign nations are improving where USA has failed. Outlawing personal guns and their cops don’t carry guns. Hate crimes are severely punished.
12
Very good article and very well written
15
For many years now, I have been both afraid of and ashamed of my country. It has the unbelievable gall to publicly accuse other countries of "human rights abuses!" Like what Churchill said about Democracy, perhaps America is the worst country on earth except for every other one.
19
Churchill was a notorious misogynist and racist. Ordered his cops to BEAT UP any female suffragette! Detailed his plan in a journal to create a eugenics program to stop India from procreating!
Get a better human to quote eh?
7
Here's the story of the world and its problems we live in and face.
Most of us know the Federal Law enforcement agencies are breaking the laws and their own rules. That they have written those rules to be broken. We know this. We've seen the abuses either in the press, or in our own lives. We've seen the reports since 9/11...and its not been a good record. The FBI, Homeland Security, etc, etc, have been abusing the laws, twisting arms of Americans, and non-citizens since. People's lives, most innocent, have been destroyed by over-eager agents, poorly vetted informants, and their information, and the lack of effective defense lawyering on their behalf.
This is not new. Its the story of the FBI. Its the main theme of the story of US law enforcement. From local policing growing out of runaway slave patrols, into "legit" institutions, funded by our taxes, and now legally protected to abuse our Constitutional rights...so long as they feel threatened by us. Which is always their go-to excuse.
BUT - we all rely on them to keep the peace, and do the dirty work of keeping it. Esp. in our nice suburban and urban enclaves. Esp. white folks. Oh most especially them. So most of us look the other way...so long as these abusers don't come for us or ours.
Middle and upper class White folks are in a general sense cowards. So comfortable in their enclaves, they are willing to let things literally burn down around them, pay for their border fire suppression (cops) - all for extra time.
21
Democracy, an inherently flawed political system, designed, seeded, is implemented and enjoyed, as well as challenged, by diverse many flawed human BEing.In a divided nation. From its very beginnings.
Diverse control systems, and their diverse control agents, range in roles.
In their mandates. Which are nuanced by delineations of an empowered concept, processes and outcomes of “national security.” A semantic-surrealistic-container description used as well as misused by all too many personally unaccountable policymakers. Elected and selected ones. At all levels. ALL around US. Existing, as it does, by personally unaccountable, diverse, ordinary people.
Who chooses to be willfully blind to much which should never exist in an equitable, menschlich, democracy.
Who choose to be willfully deaf to the experienced existential pains of all too many. All around US.
Who choose to be willfully indifferent to unethical laws;to diverse violating “control agents,” and their/OUR agencies.
Who choose to be silent when volcanic, targeting outrage is called for.
Who choose the pathways, traps and mazes, of violating
compliance in…complacencies about…and collaborations with…
This clearly, well written, documented, description reminded me of the quote by the chief counsel for the US Army, Joseph Welch,during the Army-McCarthy Senate hearings, one of many dark American events,
who asked Sen. McCarthy: “Have you left no sense of decency?”
Must effective “national security” challenge decency?
3
Maybe he could use his investigative talents on SCOTUS and it’s breach of constitutionality.
13
@Linked Too late, Warren's dead.
1
It's sad thing for me to see that even in liberal democracies - I don't think the US is alone in this - you can go to jail for doing the right thing.
22
@Dave Except that it wasn't "the right thing," as the sentencing judge ( a woman and POC, so she couldn't possibly be wrong) pointed out.
3
It's odd that he found it "really crushing" his revelations didn't lead to more publicity and scrutiny over FBI tactics and policy. Why? Because most of this has been known for at least 15 years now, going back to the reporting of Sy Hersh and others around '04-'05. I suppose he did provide some "context" and further examples of the tactics used, but nothing in the Intercept reporting was new or even groundbreaking.
It's a strange hill to die on, frankly. There certainly wasn't anything resembling altruism in his actions and subsequent conviction/sentencing (his "enjoying" prison while his wife and kids were left behind is beyond weird).
I'm with the "he should've just walked away" crowd.
10
Ms. Reitman,
Thank you for the incredible amount of time and effort you put into this piece. Albury’s story deserved to be told. Thank you for your work.
22
He could have simply walked away. But to undermine the United States and being derelict in his duty? This is not a man.
29
@steve schaffer If his oath was to uphold the Constitution, he was not derelict in his duty. Someone who exposes violations of human rights and civil rights on the part of a government agency has SUPPORTED the United States, not undermined it.
389
@steve schaffer
Is exposing FBI abuse really "undermining the United States?
165
@steve schaffer yes, he could have been a first-hand witness to wrongdoing and simply walked away. But thankfully unlike you apparently, he had a conscience that appealed to a higher moral authority than rote, jingoistic adherence to "duty."
206
This article makes me worry for the Afghan refugees arriving at Fort McCoy here in Wisconsin. I fully support the vetting of the refugees to identify those who might wish us harm. But I don’t support harassing people who helped us, who are endangered in their home country because of that, and who are coming here for a better life.
29
Mr. Aubury is a true American hero. This was a spectacular read, which left me wanting to shake him and say “you have made a difference!”
42
Just days ago it was reported that the 1971 FBI break-in that exposed J. Edgar Hoover’s misdeeds will be honored with a historical marker fifty years after. The burglary was accomplished by a group of activists self titled “Citizens Commission to Investigate the FBI.” One of the members Bonnie Raines was quoted as saying, “Now there’ll be this big historical marker, which I think is just a hoot. Fifty years ago, we were criminals, and now we’re heroes.”
Terry Albury is another American hero. He deserves no less than a 'Presidential Medal of Freedom' for his bravery and actions of conscience.
42
@Riley Banks
Unbeknownst to most, COINTELPRO continues... -- albeit by a different name. And who knows how many different agencies are involved or engaged in similar activities.
That said, Bonnie Raines is truly an American hero -- as are the others: her husband John (deceased), Keith Forsyth, Robert "Bob" Williamson, William C. Davidon, Ralph Daniel, and Judi Feingold.
We need congressional hearings or what all of these good people have tried to do will have been largely in vain.
9
First mistake: calling it a war on terror. Terror is an emotion, a feeling, a condition; one cannot fight a feeling with weaponry. It also leaves the “war” open-ended, or as the current dumbed-down term goes, “forever wars.”
Next mistake: imprisoning Mr. Albury for telling the truth. A society built on lies is by definition dishonest. By extension, we get the Paranoid State(s) of America we have now, where the farther toward liberal one goes, the more that paranoia is justified and real.
Suggested solutions: education in civics, which will take a long while to course its way through society to the people who need it most. Immediate solution: devote federal, state and local resources to surrounding terrorist groups in the US to keep them from metastasizing. This will take effort, wisdom, and above all honesty without preconceived notions in order to work. But if we are to get closer to being a real democracy again, the foundation must be truth, not lies.
Again, Mr. Albury, thank you for being the righteous person you are.
25
Unfortunately his conscience ran up against national security interests. This is a difficult time for men like him. I feel the same way about Lt. Colonel Scheller.
I agree with Ben Franklin about those that give up liberty for temporary security. It's a challenging paradox for those that protect and serve Americans.
14
Kudos to him for doing the right thing. I’m glad he’s a free man. He’s a Hero.
24
What a wonderful article and I loved listening to it. Felt like I was listening to an adventure novel but unfortunately this is a real life story. What this shows is how no agency or group is black and white. Life is grey. The fact the FBI he exposed was being supported by the very people who normally would have supported him due to the timing during the Trump administration and the Russia investigation. The fact that Mueller and Comeys names come up and evict such complicated feelings about them. And lastly the weird reactions in jail from people who you would never expect to support Aubry.
Thank you for risking everything and doing the right thing regardless of the personal consequences. You are a real hero and role model for all of us to look up to.
44
@Planet-Friendly So few have the ... integrity? courage? ... anyway, so few have the *ability* to split from their natural, or family, or institutional, or political tribe, when that tribe is taking a path that offends their sense of truth or of morality.
1
No real surprises in this story. Mr. Albury is confirming a good bit of what many may have suspected since the war on terror began. Law enforcement agencies break rules on a routine basis, don't conduct thorough and unbiased investigations, have no qualms about ruining a person's life, and no problems in attempting to entrap innocent people.
What this really proves is that in the United States you are guilty even if proven innocent. I'm sad that Mr. Albury went to prison for what he did but I'm glad this information is out here where anyone can read it.
For all the emphasis this country places on civil rights it's disheartening to realize that when push comes to shove, those rights are completely disregarded. And this does not result in catching more terrorists. It's a waste of time, money, and people. (The private sector is any better when it comes to wasting the same things. )
43
@hen3ry Hard to avoid the feeling these days that Diogenes was right to associate with dogs.
All these socially empowered structures claiming legitimacy to speak and act for "The State" or "The People" are just what the Kalahari Bushmen would call Trickster. They'll pump you up as long as you dance to their tune, then when it suits them they'll take you down, roll you over, eat you up, and spit you out.
"An old junk pusher told me, 'Watch whose money you pick up." -Wm S. Burroughs
3
I am of two minds about this.
It is entirely appropriate that the FBI strive to prevent terrorist attacks rather than merely prosecute the offenders. Better to stop the 9/11 attacks in advance rather than suffer about 3,000 deaths and prosecute a few culprits later.
Prevention necessarily involves intelligence gathering from cooperative community members, informants, and public sources. The idea of using the community to head off radicalization of young people seems sensible.
The problem arises when overzealous agents or bureaucratic drones harass, coerce, intimidate or invade the privacy of individuals, as Mr. Albury attests. I can see why agents would want to keep cases open indefinitely. Notorious failures (Fort Hood massacre, Boston Marathon bombing) happened when cases were closed prematurely.
Stronger oversight would keep single-minded agents from crossing the line or letting anti-Muslim prejudice run rampant.
Any government employee knows that handing over classified information is a felony. Mr. Albury could have told his story to the Times years ago, or better yet, told Congress (which can receive classified information), or sought whistle-blower status. Unnecessary martyrdom.
17
How is telling a story about classified material substantially different than disclosing classified material? And as the article notes, Congress was preoccupied with other matters. Also, Congress may not have been very receptive; look at how most Congresspeople talked about Edward Snowden.
9
So when the East German security police Stasi was gathering #Intelligence that was bad, but when FBI does that, it is good :-|
5
@Anshu Sharma Written material with classification markings is classified by definition. It is easy to tell his story (as he did with the NYT) without disclosing classified material. His conclusions - that the FBI needlessly kept cases open, harassed people, entrapped them, coerced or intimidated them, exhibited racist attitudes - absolutely none of that is classified. Certain specific details of individual cases might be classified, but there is no need to divulge them.
3
I am from one of those countries and in post 9/11 world I totally understood, accepted and appreciated massive surveillance and my logic was that if one doesn't have anything to hide there is nothing to worry about. I read NY Times, listened to NPR; my views on religion were upsetting to my religious friends; during a phase I identified myself as an atheist, i had nothing to hide.
That all changed when i felt that i was being followed, at first i thought it must be figment of my imagination. But then it became clearer that surveillance is not just a tool to surveil, it can be used to harass the person. First I approached people in my circle (someone who had worked for intelligence agency, an attorney friend and people who worked for human rights organization); their first reaction was of shock too but they advised me not to worry too much. I approached offices of my senator and few other senators, never received a reply.
Instead of worrying about it, I started ignoring it and have been doing that for a decade. But here and there an episode reminds you how humiliating it is and I will never be an equal citizen.
Here are few incidents that broke my heart and no apology ever will be enough.
- Followed by on way to drop off/pick up my autistic son to school (repeatedly).
- Followed by on way home from hospital bringing home our newborn.
- Followed by on way to go see Chtistmas Tree.
(Holidays are terrible for us due to increased events of being followed, everywhere.)
45
Get a dashcam.
One that auto-uploads to the cloud and from there is backed up again.
I'm serious.
Any incidences of gang-stalking MUST be pulled up by the root... or the weed breaks and comes back everywhere.
It is your duty as a human:
Obtain the truth by way of indisputable, overwhelming evidence.
...And if nothing else they'll back off because they don't want to be caught slippin'.
8
But isn't the answer to check out the suspect with reasonable care so that you have evidence to pursue him. Surely you weren't pulling names out of a hat?
1
Saddest bit of the lot is how you weren't able to catch the team of 9/11 terrorists. I read or heard some years ago that a group of four women whose job was to keep watch, tried to alert authorities that some people had done flying training but omitted the training to land the plane. Their warnings were ignored. Was that because they were only women?
32
It was because our system secretly CRAVES war. Conflict. Suffering. Fear. Pain. Fury. Death.
There are more spoils and profits to be had in wartime than in peaceful. In peace, everyone is equal. In a state of war, you can be better than a group of others and this be firmly convinced of your own superiority, and keep them firmly beneath you where they're not a threat to your perceived dominance.
And I have come to end it.
:)
7
Yiu welcome anytime Mr.
As I was reading this I kept thinking, boy, does this fly in the face of who we think we are and what we tell ourselves about our system and our culture.
And, I believe, it's these lies we tell ourselves that under girds the abuses.
Moreover, it highlights how difficult it is to re-direct government institutions, programs, and policies that are misdirected, ineffective, dysfunctional and dangerous.
This piece leaves the impression that many of the agents are bureaucratic zombies carrying on with the mission because that is how they have been programed to behave. Albury seems to be a notable exception.
Albury points out what many of us know and believe; many our policies, beliefs, and operations are grounded in fear under the guise of our security and that fear is manipulated to color the authority of enforcement that puts any one of us at risk.
The result is we sacrifice innocent people for what we believe is the greater good.
33
@Jack Carbone, You imply a complete investigation and overhaul of all intelligence agencies is required. This is a great idea. The problem appears to be that operatives are politicised, have little ethical sense, and are ill-directed.
I don't know how you would do this or who would do it.
8
@Jack Carbone The banality of evil?
1
@Thomas Yeats Well, we got rid of Comey, Strozek, McCabe, et al., which was a start.
Here is a man with a functioning moral compass and a spine stiff enough not to "just follow orders" - which was not a valid defense at Nuremberg either.
Thank you to Mr. Albury for his service to his country.
72
9/11 terrorized America. We haven’t recovered yet, and as this article points out, the terror that awful day brought to the forefront many of our worst instincts. We need to recognize we have a problem before anything can be done to fix it!
15
No, what terrorized us was watching our government essentially pillage and kill their way through a country they had no right to be meddling in (other than to offer a caring hand to anyone who wanted a life away from DIRECT brutality).
It's like someone punched us on the nose and in exchange we tortured them for 20 years.
"Terror."
Wonder if maybe some of the Afghani people would do a better job of defining that word than we have.
4
@Kiera Jaegar "It's like someone punched us on the nose and in exchange we tortured them for 20 years."
Except that in exchange we tortured *someone else" for 20 years.
4
It gives me hope for the human race to see people like Albury realize the machinery they've entered is perpetrating more harm than good, and have the courage to step out.
It was the same with Jack Ryan in 1987, who refused to investigate peace activists as domestic terrorists. He realized that the Reagan government's actions in El Salvador were the real terrorism, and that the bureau was being unwittingly used as a tool to assist this terror by suppressing public dissent. He was fired after a 21-year career, and went on to become friends with the very activists he refused to criminalize.
These institutions can only fundamentally change when the people within them realize and expose their flaws. Three cheers for Mr. Albury, and may all his hardship have been worth it.
35
This has been a look inside how to radicalize members of a community. Constant pressure and scrutiny coupled with fear and intimidation tactics.
16
So the agency that was supposed to protect the American people is treating American journalists who do their job for the Americans as enemy and those who inform them as criminals and spies. What an irony!
13
@Daniel -- What a horrific truth.
4
What strikes me is how ineffective FBI investigative techniques have been. If they had managed to uncover or prevent acts of terror, maybe we could accept their unconstitutional methods. But they have achieved nothing.
24
@Peter In my opinion, the war on terror has never been about preventing acts of terror. It is about power. Those in power feel threatened especially by people whose skin is not white. If it had been about terror it would have started after Timothy McVay, not after 9/11. It has resulted in many more deaths and much more terror than it prevented. It has been a threat to our freedom.
25
@Peter and to add to discussion, check out the ACLU detailed report 2013
https://www.aclu.org/issues/national-security/privacy-and-surveillance/unleashed-and-unaccountable
3
Terror has existed as long as there have been human beings.
We lost as many people as we lose to heart disease and lung cancer in a single DAY, and people are still wigging out about how SCARED they are.
Very serious question for everyone:
After reading/listening to this... *Who do you think the real enemy is?*
5
The odd thing is, this did not necessarily grow out of sinister intent. This is simply how bureoaucracies operate, and always have. (I used to work for the U.S. government myself). As my mother used to say: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." Certainly rooting out terrorism at home is a good intention. Ex-agent Albury has just detailed the road to hell.
21
@laolaohu perhaps bureaucracy is part of the explanation, but racism and general incompetence also seem to have played a part.
There was plenty of precedences to show how terrorism investigations can go wrong. In Ireland where I am from, there is a long history of these problems. Do a google search for the Birmingham Six case, or the Guildford Four case.
You would expect that a big powerful well-resourced organization like the FBI would know about this stuff, but apparently, they don't.
11
What an important piece. Salute the intentions behind Albury's actions, and also his resolute approach to the criminal justice system.
The side bar information about Mueller was particularly interesting. It was a futile hope that Mueller would respect democracy enough to save it from Trump: a hope, I, for one, would never have held if I had known more of his FBI background in relation to the Patriot Act and its institutionalized, anti-democratic aftermath.
His eyes were never on that ball, and I am amazed that the media I read, including this source, thought that he was respectable and impartial enough to potentially deliver that outcome. Now, in this light, that outcome was pre-ordained and Mueller's miserable silence implicitly condoning Trump's corrupt and criminal grasp of power should have been expected...No wonder they went after Albury full bore, who held information tarnishing, if not damning, the Bureau.
30
Why aren't the FBI and other national security agencies worried and pursuing domestic terrorist organizations and their supporters; i.e. January 6th insurrectionists?(not rioters) Why were they not detected? Why are many still at large and still planning more insurrection? Why were the Black Panthers dismantled and Oat Keepers, Proud Boys etc are not-free to go about spreading their ideology against the United States Government?
38
@Maria Dasilva I think the answer is obvious. Which makes it no more palatable for being so easily explained.
12
It is astonishing but not, to see comments here that fault this man for caring about the ethics of the institution and country he represented. Blind loyalty has been destroying us all for a very long time. Bravo Mr. Albury. Courage most of us cannot even contemplate. I am so proud of you.
38
What a mess. Bone crushing wheels of bureaucracy. You can see how a large bureaucratic system can be gradually shaped to become profoundly inhumane, so that the people who are "just doing their jobs" become complicit in legally sanctioned criminality. The United States has the rudimentary institutional infrastructure needed for an authoritarian surveillance state. It's time for Congress to step in and start to take it apart.
33
@Alex Congress won't do anything the Big Donors don't want done.
3
I witnessed the then Special Agent in Charge of the ATF in New York, in the weeks after September 11th 2001, discuss with a subordinate agent, the searching of the ATF firearms tracing data for “Muslim sounding names.”
11
@Henrietta
If they were only 10 or 100 muslims in all of the USA then I suppose it would be more acceptable to do some racial/religious profiling. But when you have a few million Muslims and you start tracing data on any of them that sound like they have a Muslim name, besides wasting time, it sounds like we are in Stalin-time, albeit minus the disappearances. And like one of the other readers mentioned, are they catching anybody with these techniques or not?
3
@Kevin. Agreed.That’s the point. It was discriminatory behavior lacking focus and cause. But then again, the same Agent in Charge in this previous instance, had earlier directed another subordinate to guard a phone booth and not let any “civilian” use it - so only he could to call headquarters. You can describe that behavior that puts fealty to the bureaucracy and your superiors (perhaps to garnish praise and promotion) over humanity.
3
Albury’s efforts to “close cases” is exactly what agents should be doing after a suspect has been thoroughly vetted. It’s good to see they had someone like Albury in their ranks who knew something was gravely wrong with the process. The case with Adaki’s little brother, whom Albury determined innocent, is awful. That young man will spend the rest of his life with an FBI asterisk by his name. It’s hard enough being non-white, but to be non-white and Moslem with that FBI asterisk, because they’re weren’t smart enough to know you’re innocent, is heartbreaking. I know so many Moslem Americans who value their lives here so much. Treating them like criminals is unconscionable.
18
In deep gratitude Mr. Albury for your love for ALL people as One. We all have the right to live in peace. And if you don't accept the tile of whistleblower, we will call you a Peacemaker or a Super Special Agent of Love. Your children will grow very proud of you, what beautiful gift you gave to them. We are so proud that we have you representing Human Rights to all of us. Please go with love and peace. We are behind you.
21
The accusations of blatant racism and xenophobia by his fellow FBI agents are obviously disturbing, but not surprising. Perhaps it’s inherent to the job, to denigrate and dehumanize the targets you’re assigned. Or maybe it’s not a coincidence that George Floyd and this particularly racist FBI office are in the twin cities. Defund Minnesota?
12
I tried to right wrongs that my boss was doing that could have been blamed on me and could have harmed people. I was accused by my boss of racism.
3
They should put him in charge of H R at the F B I . I'm disappointed at the level of racism still endemic in a Federal agency in the 21st century.
11
A hero. Please accept my grateful thanks.
18
I wish that Mr. Albury had reflected upon the popular declaration that we may have to restrict liberty to defeat the terrorist threat and the logical meaning of the term, “war on terror”. Had he, instead of following orders he found detestable and developing deep despair and frustration, he might have pushed back by describing the dragnet strategy for the waste of resources it was and the utterly impossibility of defeating terrorism even if every terrorists was found and removed as a threat. The suppression of the terrorist threat required a smart use of criminal investigative methods merged with global intelligence gathering. The oppressive methods used against innocent people was stupid as well as immoral. His outrage was morally correct but his effort to stop it was mistaken, it would not work and it would send him to prison. He must have expected that and his perspectives just did not lead him to a better response. It’s a tragedy when a good man loses his way.
3
On a topic of culture building and distruction, I would be very careful about hiring FBI agents into the corporate world, especially those retiring from the FBI. The mentality that the individuals have as described by the whistleblower, creates a morbid danger to the diversity and inclusion that a leader of a company would need to build. Too many times I have seen ex FBI agents hired and they ruin cohesion, create animosity by putting people against each other, and the sheer manipulation is just short of sociopathy. They have been molded into dangerous people, and I would stay away from individuals who claim to “manipulate people for a living”
17
First, this was just great journalism and such an important story.
It also made me really mad. Mr. Albury should not have spent one day in jail. I think of all the time he missed with his children and family for doing the right thing and it breaks my heart. Meanwhile, all the officials who initiated and carried out these blatantly unconstitutional policies, which had 0 law enforcement value and ruined countless lives, go scot-free and are even rewarded.
And where were the NYT and mass media generally? I am a regular reader and barely remember a mention of these issues, though there was plenty of evidence from various sources of what was going on. Instead, the media were consumed by the Russiagate distraction and their new-found adoration of the FBI and intelligence agencies. One had to go to marginal outlets like The Intercept to read anything critical of the agencies. Shame.
32
@Steve Siegel
First, Mr. Albury was not in “jail.” He was in a federal prison, and he was indeed deprived of contact with his children and family. Even worse, his children were deprived of their father. That is always the case when parents are incarcerated. And we’ve been doing a lot of incarceration in this country and destroying a lot of families in the process.
By some accounts 80% of women incarcerated in the US are mothers. Many incarcerated men are fathers, just like Albury. What happens to their kids, their spouses, their communities? The consequence of America’s mad infatuation with mass incarceration and long, harsh sentences has been the destruction of American families.
Finally, let’s not overlook Mr. Albury’s solitary confinement for the “offense” of complaining about the lack of protection from Covid in his prison. Solitary confinement is imposed arbitrarily by prison officials, often for trivial or self-serving interests of prison administrations or corrections officers. See California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Operations Manual sec. 52100 for an example of how solitary confinement, now euphemistically called “Administrative Segregation” or “Special Housing Unit,” is liberally used in even “progressive” states.
Mr. Albury paid the price for his principles, but his punishment is nowhere as severe as the punishment routinely meted out to many mothers and fathers, and their children, especially those of color.
7
It took us two days to read. I’m so sorry this young man had to go through this. I hope he and his family are okay and I hope he can take that drive he has to live well. Write a book? Teach?
10
The Afghanistan Papers book has been released. A great read.
6
I always remember reading about some Scandinavian game theory research - that found that societies tend to collapse unless good people go out of their way, AT A COST TO THEMSELVES, to ensure other people do the right thing
this appears to be the fate of whistleblowers - who get punished by the bad actors in power
but who actually - are saving the society - from falling into the quagmire of endemic corruption, cruelty and greed.
when the mass of people turn away from the light, the one person who stands up and declares 'no that's not right' - is actually the champion - and saving the world.
Everything you do is an example for those around you - if you accept bad behaviour, you are condoning and encouraging that to grow. If you say No to that, you are encouraging good to return.
24
A lot of people -- myself among them -- greatly admire the FBI but such an organisation has enormous power and power can always be abused, under the right circumstances. Terrorist attacks are one of the main drivers of such abuse. The case of Richard Jewell is just one example of a person whose life was almost ruined due to the tendency of crime-fighting organisations to throw due process under the bus when pressure is on to 'solve' a high-profile case. Watch the excellent series 'Manhunt, Deadly Games' (2017) or the Clint Eastwood film to get an insight into how easily someone can be railroaded and destroyed without spending a day in court. The presumption of innocence is an absolutely critical mainstay of any civilized society. Otherwise its just another form of lynching.
14
Jewel’s life was ruined.
7
The kind of article few news organizations can afford to underwrite anymore. A classic, 'Bad for the individual, good for society' story.
Mr. Albury is a Patriot, someone who generated less moral outrage than he expected as is often the case. There are so many things to be outraged about that even important injustices get lost in the weeds.
Thank you for your service, Agent Albury. I have now noticed, and will pass my knowledge on to others.
22
People who are willing to take the consequences for unveiling governmental wrongdoing are heroes.
That’s why Mr. Albury is a hero and Mr. Snowden will never be.
10
There are so many other ways for the keeper of trusted secrets to have a say without violating his or her oath to the Constitution. He violated his oath to the people, the kind of thing Trump enjoyed doing every day. "He" felt bad about what he saw. How selfish. What about everybody else? How about his colleagues?
2
Really? What other ways- go to your superiors? Yeah, that would have worked well, particularly as a Black man.
Courageous people are still doing the good work, but at a steep cost.
17
Hats up to men of conscience like Mr Albury, but it is troubling we fail to learn from our mistakes. I was engaged with some of this subject on a community level for the first ten years after 9/11. Though law enforcement has its roles to play, only whistleblowers give us light on the continued abuse of law and power. What a shame our government kept Omar Ahmed on their list for over 9 years. What a shame that the Department of Justice has been equating whistle-blowing with espionage.
Beyond the JTTF & CVE programs there are many other law enforcement agencies that get even less scrutiny. We want security but do we also want to live in a police state?
I would add two things: 1. intelligence is politicized. Some "Think tanks" that generate scare stories about Muslim Americans are motivated not only by anti Islam sentiments but by unquestioning fealty to Israel. Islam and Arab causes were are still are conflated. Of course we should be able to be pro-Palestinian, and Pro-Jewish at the same time but for many this is a zero sum game. Now some ideological Hindu groups (Hindutva) are playing the same smear game, trying to influence US law enforcement and essentially wasting their time. The misguided war on CAIR is part of this game.
2. Abuses we undertake in the name of our security are sure to be copied in other, even more repressive societies. And if we do it, how can we complain about Russia or China or 50 other nations seeking to squelch dissent or minority populations?
11
Reading this left me feeling sick to my stomach. Physically ill. And it convinces me that Frederic C. Rich's 2013 cautionary novel may not be very far from the truth.
Christian Nation - It could happen here.
7
What stood out to me was that Albury was the only person of color in the group photos accompanying the article.
18
@Daniel Castelaz It stood out to me too. There were 10 white women though. It is indeed sad.!!
7
Mr. Albury learned the very hard way that, while the US is a freer society than others, it is in many ways an Orwellian racist nightmare. However, the key issue here was the utter failure of the FBI to stop the September 11 disaster, which has led it to increase its intrusive power and keep taking shots in the dark to somehow prove its competence. This, of course, in practice means harassing minorities of every type, because they are less able to counter these mostly illegal actions.
12
It seems to me he was the wrong man for the job, like applying to run the dog pound without realizing some of the policies (such as euthanizing languishing animals) are abhorrent to you.
So he decided to bring it down, and he lost. I hope he inspires others who, rather than "failing for the right reasons," will instead affect change via means that actually produce it--even if it's not dramatic or if it's very incremental.
I doubt we'll see articles about any of them, though.
3
Somewhat disappointed the author didn't press Albury on why he didn't seek whistleblower status. I'd have liked to have read in his own words his reasoning for not pursuing the legally sanctioned method of exposing systemic malfeasance.
It should also be noted that the tactics used here are currently being recycled in the FBI's mission against white nationalist groups. The entire mechanism of agency plants baiting suspects by actively encouraging terrorism is exactly how the Gretchen Whitmer kidnapping plot unfolded. I'm somewhat dubious of the claim that catching a terrorist is the same as pushing someone to become one for an easy nab.
5
Watch pbs frontline show "In the Shadow of 911". Portrays Robert Mueller in a whole different and disturbing light. Riveting and chilling non-fiction show. This FBI behavior has been going on way too long and many innocent people are paying a severe price with their ruined lives.
16
Albury's name should be added to the long list of unsung heroes throughout our history whose commitment to their own conscience - and to our nations stated principles - put them in prison, or in too many cases, in their graves.
Thank you Mr. Albury.
21
Thank you, Mr. Albury, for your courage, principles, and commitment to the rule of law.
30
There is Always a balance between Freedom and Security and discretion the better part of valor. There are also Tactical, Operational, and Strategic levels of visibility regarding pedestrian to much more important issues.
While an Individual may have a position or an opinion, voicing it publicly should always considered the risk versus the gain of accomplishing an objective.
Recommend watch Anthony Bourdain in Singapore, where people are happy with tremendously strong security measures that maintain their standard of living and way of life.
Understanding nthe difference between the price and value of freedom, I'll remain a very conservative patriot, who loves the liberties and opportunities our America continues to provide.
5
@fed up I agree that security and liberty are often competing aims that must be balanced. However, I disagree with regard to where the optimal balance is located.
There is a difference between liberty and whim: a distinction that seems to me is at the root of many of our problems right now. Whim is particular to my individual psychology, while liberty is what I share with my fellow citizens of the free world. It's said that we are only as free as the least free among us, which is a bedrock truth. The idea of liberty is meaningless outside the context of a society, because the freedom of any given person considered in isolation is vouchsafed only by their ability to resist force. The freedom to do whatever you want as long as you have the arms to force the issue was the state of human freedom before America existed, and was precisely the kind of tyranny that brought the Founders to the New World.
I should be free to act on my whims to the degree that I am the only one affected by them. If my whim impinges on someone else, my freedom of action must be balanced against my neighbor's freedom. That balancing act is what liberty is, not my unrestricted whim satisfaction. Liberty should always feel like a sacrifice. That's how we know it's working.
19
Agree we live in great Nation with some good Freedom and Liberties.
Where is said, that all politics are local, in a diverse country with millions of people, optimal balance could be more of an individual's perspective based upon their social, economic, geographical and cultural, religious or spiritual positions.
Tough to put one's finger upon it.
1
Yes, util it happens to you. You are advocating for a false freedom that eventually will damage the soul of our nation, and destroy us.
3
This story --combined with the story 'The Man Who Wouldn't Spy' in the New Yorker makes me wonder why we are so sanguine about how our government operates, There are so many things that would outrage us if they were described in the abstract would outrage and disturb us. At one time FBI overreach was a serious cause of concern for the Church Commission and for the media and the public. (The documentary '1970' is fascinating on this score.
There was some concern when the Patriot Act was passed and we saw widespread attack on the rights of Muslims after 9/11. Perhaps we assumed if a Democrat was President that these rights violations would cease.
Now they are normalized, institutionalized and pass without notice.
44
He went public maybe because he felt there was no channel in the hierarchy that would adequately respond to his information.
84
You have a point. Another consideration (though I have no idea if he thought it) is that going public can offer some measure of security to yourself and family. It happens that people disappear, or have ‘accidents’ and no one knows or suspects anything. I have some experience with this kind of threat from FBI agents - relayed to me as almost a joke. I only told family and of course they sort of thought I was being paranoid. But I figured if anything happened, at least maybe they would question it. Point is only that if you keep it in-house you can potentially be at greater risk. Silenced. And nobody knows. There’s a fine line between being smart and being paranoid but if you know the tactics used, being paranoid can save your life. Lousy way to have to live.
8
While only marginally discussed, the depictions of Mueller and Comey were instructive and disappointing - but not unexpected. The agency’s culture and performance problems could not exist, or at least be so prevalent and potent without the complicity or inaction of its management.
24
Morning All:
The real harm that Mr. Albury did to the USA was to deflect and preclude many other talented and dedicated individuals from UC Berkeley in joining the FBI. Mr. Albury took their spot. In reality, Mr. Albury is no different from 20-year SF-area FBI Agent Babak Broumand arrested AT UC Berkeley itself in May 2020 for allegedly accepting a $200K bribe and now awaiting trial.
The FBI is not picking its Agents and SACs carefully.
I know this from personal experience because, in 2011, with six languages, Phi Beta Kappa (ie--top 10%) from UC Berkeley, and a Master's degree, and a perfect GRE Verbal in 18 minutes, I could not even get an Internship in Law School with the FBI.
My gender and/or sexual orientation was not the issue. In my experience, the FBI too readily discounts an individual's demonstrated academic/professional credentials and emotional/intellectual stability in the hiring process.
12
@tonopaw
You may be correct about why you weren't hired.
But I propose that possibly the reason Mr Albury was hired was specifically for his youth. Being Black probably was just icing on the cake.
Often, management will hire untested, inexperienced persons, thinking they can "mold" them to do just as told. And they're mostly correct. I see it all too often where I work.
This time, they were wrong.
And we're all the better for it.
45
@MCD
A smart person is a cheap investment that betters the entire organization. Everything else is a very risky bet.
3
@tonopaw anyone can write whatever crosses their mind without giving it a moment's thought. Mr. Albury was clearly highly qualified, accomplished a great deal but unfortunately possessed a terrible handicap: A moral conscience. Can you believe that? Aren's we just supposed to toe the line for some imagine greater good meanwhile sacrifice everything that makes us noble, caring, empathic and wise? Mr. Albury is a true patriot, he was not accepting bribes, he risked his career to reveal immoral behavior by those in power, always a great danger. The powerful do not worry about ethics, Mr. Albury was a threat to them.
9
9/11 created a hyper vigilance for security and intel. Yes, people get watched. It’s the nature of any investigation to be skeptical and suspicious. Any information gathered should clear the innocent. This is the described intent. Will people get pulled out of line and questioned? Yes. Will people get patted down at airports? Yes. Is it pleasant? No, but it is necessary. An FBI agent with a clouded sense of idealism in post 9/11 America has emailed classified info to the press. He did not resign. He did not go public. He didn’t write a book or run for office. No, he stayed on the job as a mole feeding info over the internet. What happened to his idealism when he became a leaker? I sympathize with his hurt feelings and crushed idealism. We would all love to wave an American flag over a blameless America cleansed of past sins while living on a globe of loving allies. That's the kind of idealism that gets fed to school children not FBI agents. He committed a crime and rationalized it as his own patriotic act. That's what suicide bombers think too.
10
@Andrew Pritzker
Yes, exposing FBI civil rights violations is exactly like suicide bombing. Really compelling analogy.
62
@Andrew Pritzker
I guess you didn't read the part where the files intentionally never get closed and the individual lives under a cloud of suspicion for life with every law enforcement agency being aware of it. And, the bigger the file of worthless intel, obviously the more 'smoke' or suspicion there is.
How would you like it if that happened to you?
This country is full of people like you now who seem to think this sort of thing is absolutely necessary and it's just creepy. I went on a tour of one of our major dams a couple of summers ago. An armed guard followed us around. When my husband and I, both civil engineers, found ourselves lagging behind just a few feet talking, the guard barked at us to stay with the group, and not in a pleasant way. It was ridiculous, and it gets worse all the time.
This country of 'freedom' is idiotic now. I'm sorry this poor fellow wasted his time trying to inform us that we live in a police state where some people have more freedoms than others because that has been apparent to any thinking person for a long time now, and his efforts were wasted. He should have bided his time and collected his pension for all the good it will do.
63
@Andrew Pritzker Yes, I think you hit the nail on the head. While the author of this article paints a sympathetic portrait of Agent Albury, it should not excuse the fact that he secretly released classified information. Such actions are not to be swept under the carpet, as many posters on this site seem to suggest.
While we arm-chair philosophers grapple with these high-minded thoughts of ethics, honor, and civic responsibility --- the world keeps spinning along. Do we sacrifice a little bit of honor to attend to our collective safety? Or might we allow a 9/11 event to occur occasionally, in the interests of being morally (ethically, some would say is more appropriate) right? Who is to say?
Despite his self-honed moral compass, Mr. Albury released classified information, which may have compromised other agents and cases not clear to him from his vantage point. There should be consequences for those actions. In the end, even a victorious army has casualties. The question for us then becomes one of freedom vs. security, and where do we as a society draw the line at where those casualties occur, and determine what is their nature?
4
It’s messy business.
Nothing in this story rises to level of “I have to alone decide to release private information to the public”
He should have done the harder work.
Rise through the ranks, change the system from within, through leadership.
But he chose the easier path.
It was a cop out.
And I fear he has now made it vastly harder for others.
40
He did choose the harder path. He sacrificed so much. It would have been much easier for him to remain complacent and look the other way, or leave the FBI. You just can’t see that it that way.
70
@Monica Monica, I don't think so, because what he did changed nothing--except ruin his, and his family's lives. If he'd worked inside the system, he could have tried to change things for the better.
5
@Steve
Every reader now knows about this. So he has accomplished a great deal to change things for the better!
41
Albury made a terrible mistake. A country cannot survive if individuals take it upon themselves to reveal confidential information. War cannot be fought without committing war crimes. This fact does not effect the validity of the effort, but a recognition of the awfulness of war itself.
81
When the enormity of war crimes equals or surpasses the reason for war, the interests of the nation are no longer served. Over 3000 died on Sept 11. The devastation meted in vengeance for those acts has been wreaked upon some who were guilty and vast numbers of innocents as well as at a huge human cost of our own men and women. What has been achieved?
This man violated oaths he took to not reveal information he was privy to, yet honoring his oath to serve and to try to protect the ideals of our country.
107
@Purple Spain What's your feeling about the Pentagon Papers?
And we're in real trouble when we become a nation that can excuse "war crimes" as all part of doing business.
144
@Purple Spain Give me a break - “War on Drugs”? “War on Terror?” More like a war against our own democracy. Americans can live up to their own ideals, be seen as the bloviating hypocrites that they’ve so often been over the past two centuries, or simply become a land without ideals. Looking the other was as our own officials run ramshod over said ideals will never - ever - lead to the brighter future that we all envision and hope for.
127
A true hero. This country needs more people like him.
45
Albury is a man of great conscience and courage. I wish him a long and happy life.
62
History requires the perspective of time;lots of time. I think we’re finally starting to unpack what happened in the Vietnam era. So we’re barely starting to understand what has happened since 9/11. We only “finished” the war that followed that event literally hours ago. This man’s story will be an interesting part of the story when it is eventually told.
26
Does America know that after 9/11 the FBI “interviewed” every single foreign-born Muslim male, even those that were patriotic US citizens? It did. And that in itself was very alienating. The pressure tactics were even worse - showing up to do the “interview” at midnight, after an MD resident had been on call for a 72 hour shift. Showing up at the fiancée’s parents’ house with a thick folder to ask where he was…. These are not isolated stories, these were the FBI’s MO. Someday it will come out in one of these articles or manuals. The international travel violations were pervasive- the SSSS designation is like the Star of David for our time. We should be embarrassed…
But more people have read and commented on the NYT article about rich people’s fridges than this article. The Taliban predicted America’s decline, and sadly we are witnessing it.
49
@Al King
That is correct. Except for the relatives of the Saudi royal family living here, who were allowed to quickly leave the country despite the air travel lockdown.
Curious, that.
7
@Al King Is it really true that the FBI interviewed every single foreign-born Muslim male, as asserted? I see a 2004 ACLU of New York letter declaring that 8,000 Arab and Muslim men were interviewed in 2001 and 2002, and possibly several thousand more starting in 2004, but nothing on the scale you indicate. It's hard to calculate how many foreign-born Muslim or Arab males there are in the US, but it is surely in the hundreds of thousands. Please provide references for your statement.
This is not to excuse midnight interrogations or other abusive tactics, but we should base our discussions on verifiable facts.
6
A harrowing story, giving further credence to the fact that the our intelligence agencies have gravely overstepped the law, human rights, and simple human decency, all in the name of our protection. Albury's stories of racism and hatred within the agency are sickening. They put the wrong man in jail. Defund the FBI.
32
Yes, while reading I was thinking a bit part of the problem was overfunding. If the FBI didn’t have unlimited budgets, they might spend their time and our money more wisely. But arguing they have too big a budget is politically unpopular. Any politician suggesting it would be labeled a socialist, anti-American or worse, when it would actually be the thing that is in the best interest of America and the American values espoused in the Constitution.
12
@Al King You can't reform institutionally corrupt security services. And since this article explicitly reminds us that the FBI IS institutionally corrupt ("there is no greater sin than embarrassing the bureau" translates to: "if we lie, steal, commit terrorism, waste money, harass, and terrorize harmless immigrants no one can say:) it is past reforming and must be purged.
6
My heart goes out to Mr Albury's family for the ordeal that they've endured for the cause of liberty. I hope that Mr Albury's children learn from this experience to make good trouble, as he learnt from his own elders- because that's the only way that the United States will ever grow to become a freedom-loving nation.
26
Liberals have given the FBI - and the DEA, and ATF, and US Marshals - a pass for too long. Everything we say we’re against - violations of civil and human rights, excessive violence, racism and racial profiling, mass incarceration - these guys do it all. We focus on local police as if somehow they’re the only ones who do these things. The Intercept series was great. I loved learning about the FBI agent behind it all. What a tremendous human being.
30
From the article:
'It was “really crushing,” he [Albury] says, that his disclosures didn’t cause more of a sensation. “I assumed the stuff would come out and there would be some radical change, like the Church Committee hearings.'
We should all be pushing for hearings. They're exactly what is needed, if we are to heal and recover, as a country.
30
Indeed, the US public owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to the likes of Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden, Terry Albury for their selfless sacrifice. Truly democratic governments have no secrets to be leaked.
Basically, the 9/11 terrorist attack gave the US far right - in the Congress, military, and NSA agencies - a golden opportunity to implement an agenda that before 9/11 they could only dream of. They suddenly found themselves in the position of using the US military to establish a world-wide empire and contrive policies aimed at forcing Muslims and other non-white, non-christian immigrants out of the US.
The US far right was quickly joined by the military-industrial complex, which projected huge backlogs of weapons and ammunition for their factories; hence, their insistence that the war on terrorism should be viewed as "an endless war".
Afghanistan had to be invaded first to establish US military actions were terrorism related. Then Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11, was invaded. The next in line was Iran, but the US allies - in particular, the British - realized that would be a bite they could not chew. So, the empire turned its attention to bringing East European countries under the NATO umbrella.
Election of Obama in 2008 upset the far right plans. But they managed to convince him that Afghanistan war has to go on. They figured Obama will be gone in no time. All they needed to do was to ensure the next president will be one of their own. So, they did!
20
A bit off topic but one thing that strikes me reading this is how deeply ironic it is that the right believes there's a deep state in the FBI that would be pro-left or pro-Hillary. It's not that it's a new revelation, but here it is in great detail... most of the FBI is quite conservative.
30
A lot more than most people can imagine.
4
@blackLight
Why? Pro-left and pro-Hillary do not intersect. Ms. Clinton, like the FBI, "is quite conservative."
3
I have absolutely zero sympathy for people like this.
If he saw the problem he should have left. But he didn't. You know why? The money.
That's always the driving factor for the government.
5
@Lillian K You're wrong. If it was about "the money," the agent would have kept his mouth shut for four more years, taken his 20-year pension, and retired. So it was not about the money. It was about trying to stop the FBI from treating thousands of Americans as al-Qaeda terrorists based solely on their religion or names.
He didn't complain when caught, he didn't claim "poor me." He took his firing, loss of pension, and prison term stoically. I wish our police agencies had more people like him. As an American, I want to know what my government is doing in my name--and the politicians won't tell us.
9
@Lillian K The money? He made a low 6-figure salary and had to locate his family several times. With his skill set, he could have earned a lot more working as a contractor.
7
Exactly; this “hero” did his best to avoid the consequences of his “conscience.”
2
It’s only after having a NYT subscription for a few years now that I realize how conservative and/or middle of the road it’s views really are. I was surprised to find out it was rarely what I would consider a liberal newspaper. It’s so in fact conservative that it still claims to believe the US is a democracy,
9
I agree it was really evident during the reign of Trump…
1
Albury did what he did because he thought that the FBI was focused upon racism and serving white supremacy.
What he was doing was participating in a dragnet strategy to find terrorists by used one or two factors shared by those who were conducting terrorism. They came from middle eastern countries and/or were Muslims. It meant treating hundreds of thousands of regular people as possible terrorists to gain leads on those who might be. It’s a dumb and resource wasting method. Better to focus upon known bad actors and to work back across all of the contacts and movements.
This stupid method helped to make lives miserable for many millions and Albury sympathized. He identified their treatment with how African Americans were treated when white supremacy was a political force in this country, so he concluded that that racism was behind the oppressive policies he saw.
There were middle eastern and Muslims terrorists but finding them should have been smarter and the dragnet approach not used. Had Albury focused upon a good method and showed results, he might have fixed the problem without losing his freedom.
7
@Casual Observer White supremacy is still a political force in this country. Charlottesville, the murder of George Floyd, and the January 6 assault on the Capitol/election certification are just a few examples.
5
the world isn't often the way movies portray it....
political agendas replace idealistic visions.
Trail of Tears happened, Tulsa happened, MLK happened, JFK happened....
and the perps were served justice.....
and didn't get rich off of your dime.
Why is it Albury was the only black person in most of those situations? Why is the FBI still recruiting probably-Christian white males? That’s more Trump’s white supremacist demographic.
If they really wanted to catch Al Qaeda terrorists, they would have Muslim Saudi-Americans as FBI agents.
18
Albury’s path from FBI agent to prisoner to free man will one day make a great movie.
A story to tell in the ongoing history of this republic.
21
This is fascinating. Had he been a student of history or taken it upon himself to be more curious about his father's statement "“You can’t trust white people,” he might have know that the FBI is historically racist and corrupt.
I have to say I took some pleasure at Trump's attack of the FBI and Comey, not for the Hillary emails but for their track record of targeting activists and artists and scholars of color.
On their watch Russia interfered in US elections. On their watch home grown terrorist groups engineered a failed coup. On their watch hate groups grew exponentially during Trump's residency culminating in a semi-successful violent coup attempt in the nation's capitol on January 6th. Of course the FBI demonizes BLM and Muslims, it's too afraid to go after actual domestic terrorists .
30
Confusing what needed to be done to solve a specific problem was what cost Albury his freedom.
The method used was what produced the oppressive methods. A minimum number of commonalities among the known terrorists were used to stereotype people from who to try to find terrorists, being a Muslim and being descended from people from countries where terrorists seemed to come.
The history of racism in this country presented similarities and racists in the FBI had treated African American Civil Rights leaders as traitors.
There was one difference. The intent to prevent terrorism was the motive and a different method would have stopped the oppressive methods.
3
@Lourdes Because of tribal solidarity.
It’s a sad comment, America, when people claiming to mean to do good feel compelled to break the law to do it. Yet, here you are, America. You have a positional power problem. People in positions of power act unilaterally or with small groups essentially the same way I imagine humanoid clan structures operated hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Grow up, America. It’s time for you to develop and adopt a constitutional democracy or forfeit your country to the ravages of antiquated systems of governance.
15
Let me get this straight… An FBI employee believes the best way to deal with terrorism is to bomb a commercial center in Minnesota.
How broken America is.
25
So depressing. Meanwhile, the white home-grown domestic terrorists run amok. Albury is a brave and righteous human being.
49
Good for you, Mr. Albury. You are a model for us all. I admire you tremendously!
35
Strangely during the FBI spying on Trump and his campaign and later his presidency, no FBI or DOJ employees ever leaked to the Media what was going on, even though what they were doing may have been legal.
8
Apparently the Judge stated that Mr. Aubury had options. But what were they?
13
The world is full of selfish people who will hurt others in the name of religion, ideology or just plain mental illness. Unfortunately, you have to fight dirty to prevent or catch these people. We, in America, have this naive notion that we are a above it all and dont have to use dirty tactics or methods You can't fight bad guys by being naive and the downside is that innocent people get caught in the cross hairs and are collateral damage. Wake up. No one in their right mind joins the FBI, CIA, NSA, MI5, etc. thinking they are going to play fair unless they are an idiot This guy deserves to go to jail. He applied and accepted a job that had rules. He violated them. Boo hoo that he didnt like their methods.
6
@X Talk about being naive...dude read your post. "bad guys"? innocent people in the crosshairs like the ten children killed in the recent US drone attack in Afghanistan meant as "retaliation"?
If you don't know who the "bad guys" are just look at that graduation picture again.
21
@X
How low do you stoop?
How much collateral is acceptable? All fun and games until you yourself become collateral.
11
People like you is what is wrong with the world. They were hunting a non existing treat similar to the WMD that Bush used to get us into the quagmire of iraq. In the process, innocent people were affected for no reason. It always intrigues me how easy a democracy gives away other peoples civil rights.
19
Albury took the oath to protect the constitution and the United States. Which includes the innocent people in it. People that have an ethical backbone cannot just quietly bear witness to wrongs.
The law has often been on the wrong side but ethics guides those who will listen to act despite the law. He stood up for innocent people who now have a dark mark on their files due to overreach by the state. He stood up for your child and mine so that they are not unfairly targeted, and if they are, the law self-corrects so it doesn't happen again. If people like Albury just let these abuses slide, then there will never be the self-correction needed to make our institutions more accountable or better. So yes, I think Albury is a hero. He put his ethics above his self interest...and for those cynics out there, really think what is easier, sitting and counting down time to retirement while collecting a cushy paycheck, or sacrificing your future, career, family, and ending up in jail? It really is easy to pass judgement but not so easy to make hard decisions.
54
@Anu Shanbhag Well said. I believe some of the commenters on this thread are assuming these things would never happen to them.
But if you would never accept it if it happened to you then you shouldn't inflict it on others.
7
This should not surprise anyone. FBI headquarters is, after all, named after J. Edgar Hoover. Brilliant piece!
38
Save the garbage. He is a traitor.
This man was selected among THOUSANDS of applicants for a select TOP SECRET/SCI position in the FBI.
I was there.
I know what they go through to get through the screening process among thousands of "wanna-be's"....
He was given a position of extreme trust and was indoctrinated along with hundreds others at Quantico that what you learn and do is something NEVER, EVER communicated to the non-secure community.
He betrayed our nation. He is a convicted Federal felon, and he was imprisoned for that. Just an embarrassment and humiliation.
End of discussion.
12
@ExFED
What if the FBI tossed your mother at an airport under suspicion or inclination of being a domestic terrorist? You wouldn't be calling your brothers at the bureau raising cane? Imagine what this guy had to witness each day while suits like you sit back and recite the pledge. Hypocrite!
59
@ExFED
Please. I'd give you the benefit of the doubt if Trump was also behind bars. He's not. And he is responsible for 600,000 COVID deaths, for starters.And deaths of a handful of Capitol police officers .
24
@ExFED, never ever tell the “non-secure” community what you do?
You know who the non-secure community is?
American citizens. You know, the people who pay your pension?
You forgot who you work for. And I think you are not alone.
Time to dismantle the secret state. Again. It’s beyond out of control.
End of discussion.
34
The FBI should be ashamed of its pervasive white supremacy and Islamophobia. They should investigate themselves for being enemies of a democracy in which freedom of religion is a fundamental right.
I am disgusted but not surprised.
Thank you, Mr. Albury, for exposing this disgusting bigotry.
43
The FBI knew he was copying documents fir well over a year, and did nothing? Why? And why would he not expect hidden cameras? It’s the FBI and he knew their basic DNA by then.
5
Citing:
https://cyber.harvard.edu/bridge/CriticalTheory/critical4.htm
"Critical race theories combine progressive political struggles for racial justice with critiques of the conventional legal and scholarly norms which are themselves viewed as part of the illegitimate hierarchies that need to be changed. "
Mr. Albury is living proof that racism transcends personal animus and continues to disfigure the very legal and cultural foundations of our society. This is the "context" Mr. Albury sought to expose to sunlight. Shame on the judge that sentenced Mr. Albury to prison rather than having the wisdom to see the actual justice his actions embodied. Although this courageous man broke the law, he remains innocent of wrong doing. Sometimes the law is wrong.
23
The American Psychosis: Law enforcement profiles someone. Imagines what he could do. Bend the truth about a person until there's no alternative but to believe the danger is imminent. Call yourself and receive praise as a hero for putting yourself at risk.
14
Sometimes when you’re in the room where it happens, you end up part of the sausage.
8
The FBI et alia are commanded to keep America safe; we want no more 9/11s, for example. That's a heavy lift, for America is pretty much wide-open: You can get in here from countless points, many of which are perfectly legitimate. And, of course, a true bad actor can and will lie easily to do his dirty work. Catching them wouldn't be easy. Which means that those charged with doing so must have some high degree of power, like a super cop. It's a matter of life and death.
The built-in conflict and potential for failing and overstepping boundaries are massive; it's a recipe for disaster on every front. I wouldn't want the job, but it falls to the government to protect its citizens. So are they doing the best they can? Of course, they are; they may have hateful thoughts and opinions about the people they must surveil, but can you really find large numbers of objective, loving professionals in our population?
Very few saints live here. Yes, it's easy to talk the talk, as many are doing in these comments, but walking the walk in the real world requires almost superhuman abilities. You get tired, confused, frustrated, angry; you're working with imperfect information and very fallible tools for doing the job. Mistakes will be made; humans will be fully human; thus surveilling the surveillers is necessary.
Yet who can fairly demand a very high level of ethics and efficiency in such positions? It's as dicey as being on the front lines of war. Disasters of all sorts are ready-to-hand.
4
It is not “dicey” and “difficult.”
Look for and investigate credible threats. Harassing old women at the airport isn’t necessary. Profiling and building up thick folders on innocent teenagers isn’t necessary. Ruining people’s lives isn’t necessary.
What would have worked better? Spending all that time and money educating FBI agents— if they understood Islam and immigrant communities better, as the peaceful people they are, agents wouldn’t see them as “other” it targets for explosions.
13
Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and other Bush administration officials apparently had an ideological belief that the War on Terror required the Unitary Executive to repudiate and demolish values that once defined America. They bullied Congress into rubber-stamping a wish list cynically named "the USA-PATRIOT Act," with the pious John Ashcroft insisting that even debating it was "unpatriotic" and "aided the enemy."
The War Power thus became a carte blanche license to disregard any constitutional constraints that got in their way. They established a secret torture gulag, and then a secret court that replaced the troublesome Bill of Rights with a separate system of secret law tailored to support mass surveillance. The operative principle was that the Unitary Executive could do anything, as long as it was kept secret.
When Obama replaced Bush, I naively hoped he would respect the Constitution and restore what Bush demolished. Snowden's revelations only proved that once we sacrifice rights and liberties, knowingly or otherwise, we never get them back.
It seems that the FBI took the Bush principle to mean that the War had restored the Glory Days when J. Edgar Hoover empowered himself to cast off the shackles the insufferable Bill of Rights had imposed on law enforcement for so long. They were free to fight any and all enemies as they see fit.
So after 20 years of surrendering our rights, knowingly or otherwise, to the War on Terror, are we really any safer?
17
It is disconcerting to see the depths that our government goes to keep us safe. I really don't have an issue with what was brought out in the article. I have an issue with the words of humiliation that people have toward fellow residents. We have to keep it professional never personal. If you have a bias it reflects on your work.
This man should have gone to jail. Not reason to doubt his sentence but maybe the length. He should have had 10 years to think about his transgressions. He doesn't feel guilty about what he has done.
2
@Morris Clayton Nor should he. He swore an Oath to the Constitution, not to the bureaucrats. I think a lot of young people who sign up for the FBI are honorable and trustworthy. I think it is sad that way to many are turned into cynics like the old men who lead them. Power, corruption, self service and a terrible lack of morality seems to be the norm in Washington. It is people like Terry Albury, who give us hope. He like most people in this country has a conscience. Thank you for your service to this nation, it's people and the Constitution.
29
12/7/41, America then decides to intern innocent Americans for no other reason than their heritage.
9/11/01 America then decides that looking or sounding suspicious; or having a suspicious name, is enough to target you for surveillance (or worse).
The common thread here is that in war, the first casualty is civil liberty.
22
You cannot take the career of a malcontent FBI agent and blow it up into a panorama of the National Intelligence Community.
I understand he was "idealistic" when he came on board.
So was I and having been recruited into the Feds as a junior in college, I was years ahead of other candidates who had ten or more years in local law enforcement. The Feds even paid for my senior year college, tuition and books. I was one a rare receipt when thousands of others were applying for a job.
This man, like me, went through profoundly rigorous training and indoctrination, and we learned immediately on joining that you were part of an extremely select group and there were specific and certain rules of the game: Secrecy is the bottom line and you cannot violate that. Not ever.
Bottom line: The job IS INTENSE. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. To voluntarily download, copy, and disclosure Top Secret/SCI information is a major league Federal felony.
He knew that. He did it.
He got identified, He got indicted.
He got convicted. He is a Federal felon.
And he did it voluntarily. What a disgrace.
9
@ExFED
NOT a disgrace. Adbury did the honourable thing and exposed FBI wrongdoing.
As far as I'm concerned, he is not a federal felon. Adbury should be once again a full member of society with an unblemished record.
13
I think you missed the point of what he did. It is heroic, not a “disgrace” to speak up for right when you are surrounded by wrong, wrong actions and wrong-headed people blindly following intolerant racist and Islamophobic policies.
17
It seems he wanted the heat, and that intensity was not an issue. It was that the kitchen was not up to health code and customers needed to know.
Tremendous resources were wasted in a way that violated the rights of millions, and protected nothing but the FBIs budget. The phony “sleeper cells” of that era were shameful.
I’d like to think that’s all in the past now, but thanks to Mr. Adbury and this reporting, I’m reminded it continues.
7
Three whistleblowers have come out of the Minneapolis FBI Office. Something is happening there.
22
I just finished listening to this.
And it. Was. Brilliant.
Thank you.
12
We have all been paying the price for the CIA's and FBI's humiliation over 911. They had plenty of warning, as has often been pointed out. They just cannot get it right when it really counts, as examples listed here mention. They have more money and resources than brains and expertise; that is never a good combination. Too many idealogues and ex-military ruining the recipe.
20
You betrayed your oath. There were other ways to fight this, but it was all about you, wanting to be a martyr, and keep the door open to profit from it.
When is the book/movie/Netflix coming out?
4
@Rugger
The FBI betrayed the oath, not Adbury.
8
@Rugger What were the other ways?
6
Trevor Aaronson in "The Intercept" today:
September 1 2021, 5:30 a.m.
"FBI SPY PLANES MONITORED A SINGLE SUSPECT FOR NEARLY 429 HOURS"
"A federal court filing gives an unprecedented window into the FBI’s use of spy planes for wall-to-wall surveillance on a suspect."
Why didn't they get a warrant?
Warrantless surveillance is supposed to be very limited, but it is anything but...
What's taking place on U.S. soil would astound most people. 'Land of the free'? If only...
17
Genuine civil disobedience requires acceptance of any resulting penalties.
23
@Peter That seems to be what happened here.
5
It's long been clear, and this pretty much is the cherry on top, showing that The United States has lost its way. We were never perfect, but we are not becoming a "more perfect union" by any stretch of the imagination.
53
A key problem is that document classification rules that require people like Albury to keep secrets of embarrassing or even illegal information from the public - even the information in the rules themselves - should not be acceptable. The only justifiable reason for classifying information - i.e., confidential, secret, top secret - should be to prevent compromising national security, not to hide embarrassing or illegal information. Consequently, there should be rigorous review processes for ensuring that any proposed classification of documents is only for the purpose of endangering national security. Some organizations do that well, but too many do not. The FBI is clearly one of them that do not.
40
@Paul Stokes
If anyone involved can interpret for themselves what is necessary to avoid compromising national security, then one might as well just abolish intelligence activities by the government. There will always be disagreements about making such judgements, and the wider the circle of responsibility, the more insecure the process becomes. Indeed, one could question just how efficacious the world's intelligence agencies have actually been, or if they have been effective at all. Yet, gnawing uncertainty means no country will ever be willing to abandon its secret services.
4
@Paul Stokes 30 years ago I was on Jury Duty and in the prospective pool for a case against a woman who had taken her children to Israel without her husband's permission and refused to return them. She was arrested while transiting JFK by the FBI. A reformed 60s radical, asked by the defense attorney if I believed FBI agents were more or less likely to lie in testimony, I responded "less - they risk not only their freedom, but their carers and pensions." I was excused from the jury. After watching the Russiagate fiasco, I realized my trust in the FBI was completely misplaced. They have been politicized and weaponized not just against innocent Muslims but opposition candidates and organizations. Their documented abuse of FISA tools (the NSA database) to try to build a case against Trump was KGB-style fascism at work. The rot has spread from the top down. Watching poor old Mueller fumble and squirm trying to defend that mess was eye-opening. Was that man EVER some sharp-honed beacon of justice, or just another club-member hack who enabled deeply evil men like Weissman and Comey? The damage those people did to our nation, combined with this year's fiasco in Afghanistan, has led me to believe I never should have abandoned my 60s radicalism. The US has become a banana republic in full, and we let it happen.
7
@Paul Stokes Very well said, in a sense he was an imprisoned whistleblower. Because they can.
8
Sadly, I learned long ago not to trust the government, the police, the FBI, the CIA, the Generals, etc. Yes, there are many good men and women in these institutions, but far too many bad apples. Airline pilots on regularly scheduled US airlines. Those I trust. Their track record is amazing. The FBI? A joke all too often. Interviewed the Boston Marathon Bombers and found them harmless. Sadly if I found myself in this man’s position I would quit. But I would not leak classified documents to the press. The press is not your friend.
11
@Douglas Ritter
In the US - now - any one with a flight license has to undergo annual medical examines, and most have to endure an angiogram or a very invasive heart exam. No one can fly with a history of alcoholism or drug abuse, no matter how sober for decades.
@Douglas Ritter
Trusting the government is much to be preferred to trusting no government. There will always be a government, either the one you chose or the one someone chose for you.
@Douglas Ritter You would not have any of this information about FBI, CIA, Generals etc. if it were not for the press. What are you talking about?
6
I must concede some credit to Times journalism for this piece. Nothing new or unknown, mind you, but well composed and presented for a newspaper. It is well known that G W Bush changed the FBI, and many had careers sidetracked for it. The takeaway must be that we are ultimately judged, in the end, by our own peace of mind.
27
It’s discouraging to read about mr Albury. I can understand why the rest of the world see us as hypocritical and untrustworthy. This isn’t the Marshall plan America anymore. This is weapons of mass destruction America. Maybe we don’t deserve to be “number one” anymore. Maybe time to give the title to Canada and see how they do.
20
@Esther: probably no better. Power corrupts, and all that. And in the odd situation were the Canadian government did have the power (its record vis-a-vis the local First Nations comes to mind) it doesn't seem to have done a whole lot better.
3
Take it as Natural Law: Any group of people given secret authority - in the FBI, in the Curia, in the Boy Scouts - will abuse it.
29
@Alice Blair Wesley
That is a corollary of the law that any kind of authority will be abused.
5
September 11 is approaching again, and this article was interesting to read. A highly motivated and qualified FBI agent who had all means legal and supposedly illegal (but authorized) to find potential terrorism activities, shifted his regards toward the targeted group from terrorists to victims, ended up turning against his own team.
I sympathize Mr. Albury for the mental distress that he must have gone through by knowing that he was partly responsible for red flagging innocent people for life. I wonder if it would have made difference could there be a way to un-flag them. US judicial system should consider it, now that we know this injustice has been practiced by the US government agency. It would give the exposure that cost him prison sentence truly just meaning.
28
Yes, that is part of the problem the US Stasi, a.k.a FBI - there is no way to ever throw out the file
4
As a society, we continue to come to terms with the violations of civil and individual rights that became government policy after 9/11. Things like the illegal, unconstitutional surveillance of Americans by the NSA, as revealed by Snowden. And the huge trove of intelligence misadventures revealed by Manning. And, as documented here, the profiling of certain groups as revealed by Albury. And with it all, the contempt for ordinary Americans and their rights from our FBI and police agencies.
At the top, this was all driven by politicians wanting to look "tough on national security" and by the law enforcement mentality of loyalty to the force.
Supposedly liberal politicians like Hillary not only supported the unconscionable war on Iraq, but also demanded that people like Snowden be prosecuted for supposedly endangering our national security. Political grandstanding. Cynical politicians like Hillary and George W. Bush have done much more to damage our national security than any whistle blower. In fact, by defending our values, people like Albury, Snowden, and Manning enhanced our national security.
I would like to see people like Hillary and W put in jail for their horrific policy choices, wars, and brutality towards fellow citizens. But as always, the powerful get away with what they do, while the weak get trampled.
13
@Unconventional Liberal
Pendulum swings to either extreme are dangerous and often deadly. Unfortunately, it's not uncommon for the reverberation of one event to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction.
The ideal is to find a place in the 80% that remains. I go to sleep soundly knowing that this is the area where the majority of us operate from and reside in. And that we take steps needed to halt that 10% on either side. It's how it should be. There will always be though that push boundaries. Society and a system of laws is what keeps the middle from moving to either side.
5
If I recall, James Comey was supposed to have decided to announce the reopening of the Clinton email investigation right before the election because he believed that the info was going to be leaked by right wingers at the FBI. This monumentally consequential disclosure was deemed lawful because those doing it had the power.
I can't imagine that the FBI has become less of a tool for the right wing throughout the last presidency. And why no action to prevent January 6?
I think that an exploration of the internal workings and culture of the FBI is warranted.
35
If only our Republican politicians had the same conscience. As Doris Lessing writes in, “The Prisons We Choose To Live Inside”, “People will look back on this time in history as a time when we knew more about ourselves and how we operate than at any other time, and did nothing with that information.”
15
Worldviews guide our actions in the everyday world. Historically, FBI agents have been recruited from conservative,
white communities. Making the FBI more diverse--and Albury was an early "token Negro"--subjects it to people raised in
other communities, just as patriotic, but with varied worldviews.
That should change the FBI's modus operandi, not send a commendable agent to prison. Early in the war on terror,
government was angry and scared, angry because the FBI
did not prevent 9/11 and scared because they knew nothing about jihadism, the Islamic spinoff from Salafism that turned to violence against all other Muslims, and the European "Crusaders." This is not normative Islam. It is violent fundamentalism, just like the militant Christians we have here.
The FBI did not know enough about jihadism to fine tune its
mission to "prevent" terrorism, which is a pretty difficult task.
Albury needed someone to talk to; like any warrior in the field, he needed time off and a sounding board. The FBI also does not offer that.
Albury is a strong personality who pioneered his position as a Black agent. He did not deserve prison. We owe him a pardon.
20
@HLR Even he admits his race didn't enter into the equation.
Your comments about terrorism are foolish to say the very least. We succeeded in stopping terrorist activities all the time. Since there aren't hundreds killed, they fall below the reporting radar. As they should, why publicize what's working just to make people like you feel better? Best to keep the successes wrapped up tight and soldier on. The one thing we've learned is that our intelligence has been spot on. This particular office took the wrong avenue in securing that information and it should have been thwarted long ago. But DHS, FBI, CIA, along with all of the other alphabet soups, along the military services deserve our thanks, not our suspicion.
1
He is no hero. He chose to break the law and the law requires that he pay for doing so. The alternative is anarchy. Change the law—that is the American way. But if you feel compelled to engage in civil disobedience, you must pay the price.
12
@Ehillesum
He doesn't claim to be a hero. And he admitted he broke the law and should pay for that choice. You are characterizing actions that did not occur. That is why I find my feelings so conflicted about his actions.
8
He would agree with you. He is not claiming to be a hero. Frankly, however, his civil disobedience may have done more for his country than his legal service. I am saddened and grateful to read this even handed and well reported story, as an American citizen.
23
@Ehillesum He certainly is a hero. Maybe not to you, but to me and many others, he is a profile in courage
13
Mr Albury showed incredible courage and moral commitment. With a history of political activism and an enconter with the FBI where I too shut down the interview before it started, I can only imagine how someone who was so ingrained in the FBI culture and the American propaganda machine could be see through it all.
The risk he took jeopardizing family, friendships, finances, and future to find the courage to expose the hypocrisy of the FBI with its stained history, and to a wider extent law enforcement in this country begs appreciation from the fair minded. However, as a black physician who has endured some of the same indignities as Mr Audrey, I totally understand the "whys" of his actions which inspires me to speak up where injustice rears its ugly head. Mr Albury should inspire others to take a stand against a rapidly deteriorating republic spiraling towards a police state and authoritarian government with the tacit assent of its people.
55
The lives of some good people are being ruined and most Americans don't know the half of it.
We need more good men like Mr. Albury.
33
After reading this article and knowing the bigoted history of the FBI, why would anyone risk seriously commenting on the ruthless authority and scale of corruption within such a system?
7
@Dolcefire
It's not bigotry - it's reactionary. The FBI is on record for going after "dissidents" - protestors. Look what happened at the Seattle protest of the IMF -1998
3
What is most disturbing about Mr. Aubury’s report is that FBI agents assumed that anyone they were investigating must be guilty. The racism of the agents in Minneapolis was the prevailing attitude and chilling that it was directed towards the Somali community.
The FBI’s intelligence gathering on innocent people from Muslim countries will still show up in a data base which could be used to deny them employment or a rental agreement. How can innocent people not charged with a crime expunge this information? This assumption of guilt without due process is antithetical to our democracy. I believe Mr. Aubury did the right thing by exposing this devastating effect of the patriot act.
30
@Home Girl
Too many examples of persons of conscience, trying to report mis-behavior, and at best ignored, at worst reprimanded. (For example, Colonel Vindaman reporting Trump's conversation with Ukraine's leader, and getting censured for it.)
Keep in mind that police and other law enforcement agencies are largely motivated by funding, among other things.
And of course they have to justify that funding.
We were all horrified by 9/11 but the cynics and fearmongers saw funding to be had, and of course departments have to continually justify all that money so terrorists are everywhere. And who better to see as one as those with the least amount of political power. (The part in the article about how agents talked about Somali emigrants should make us all hang our heads with shame.)
And it goes without saying that when you've received military-style surplus equipment, every perceived threat has to be taken down with maximum force, regardless.
9
Courage, conscience, and their compelling convictions make for character in the context of that word's meaning as commendable individual distinction. This excellent report's subject, a Special FBI Agent of numerous commendations, adds to our nation's long list of government agents, in particular, who speak up and stand out as courageous, conscientious, and compelling agents for crucial changes too democratically essential to deny their place in the sun.
11
no individual has the right nor the moral authority to decide what is right or wrong and to release sensitive information that may harm our law enforcement and protections against terrorism.
if he wanted to talk to journalists confidentially, or write an editorial, that is fine. But to decide to leak documents, that is indeed criminal and makes all of less safe.
what if ever FBI agent decided they didn't like the tactics? We would all be doomed. Traitors are not heros.
The bad guys want to harm us, including the Taliban, Islamic fundamentalits, the governments of China, Iran, and Venezuela. No doubt. Those are the bad guys, not US.
11
@Jill Yoh
"Those are the bad guys, not US".
Of course not. The U.S. government is always the hero, regardless of the body count.
23
@Jill Yoh The difference between us and them is we retain our morality and sense of justice. Without it everyone but us are the "bad guys." That's not the America I wish to live in.
8
@Jill Yoh Uh, I’m a little more concerned about home grown right-wing terrorism in THIS country as evidenced by the events of January 6th rather than China, Iran, and Venezuela, et.al.!
8
Sounds like things at the FBI haven't changed that much since Hoover's time. The main difference seems to be that J. Edgar and his boys wielded their powers without worrying about justifying them, while today's FBI relies on panic laws like the Patriot Act and a web of executive orders, bureau policies and DOJ edicts to legitimize what it has always been doing.
17
Mr. Albury shows the type of conviction and courage that exemplify what should be expected of those sworn to uphold the law. The article is well-written and very disturbing in that it rings true in its representation of the pervasive climate in law enforcement towards anyone perceived as "the other".
41
As a public servant also wrestling with the moral and ethical implications of my service, this was an illuminating and fascinating read. Thank you for your courage and your service to the people.
33
Mr. Albury was, apparently, helping to stop the 'destruction' of many people, one at a time. He was doing the most that he could do as a lone, honest FBI agent. Is it safe to say, no revelations on The Intercept, or other internet scoop sites, are ever going to end a legal federal law enforcement program permeated with racism and/or incompetence, meant by politicians who set them up to "keep us safe"?
14
If the FBI applies the same M.O. and attitude to white supremacists and extreme rights groups in the U.S. that are increasingly penning/voicing ISIS type justifications for violence, then Albury will have done a grave disservice. Perhaps what the FBI applies in fighting yesterday's war can actually be put to good use in preventing the next calamity, which surely will be from the jeannie Trump unleashed. Equal opportunity application will also validate that the FBI has, at least, some degree of integrity.
7
@Tell The Truth
I completely disagree with you.
Yes domestic, white supremacists need to be monitored, but not by using the tactics FBI have used - and probably continue to use - on Muslims, Muslim leaders, Muslim immigrants. It wastes time and money, and doesn't keep Americans safer.
2
I'm conflicted after reading this article. The military vet part of me understands and appreciates the necessity of the actions taken by the government, the liberal part of me hates when the government oversteps it's boundaries. I firmly believe avenues exist within the system for course correction, yet I also know the roadblocks and run around that happen. I hate that people are forced to take such measures, yet I take pride that such people are willing to risk everything to make something better for someone they'll never know. I'm befuddled. I think Mr Albury was too. He took the steps he had to take, being the man he was, knowing he would pay a price. He hasn't said what he did was not illegal, only that it had to be done. For that stance, more than anything, he earned my respect.
88
@colormeblue
I wish what is described in the article was "the government overstepping it's boundaries."
It read to me like an agency that is law unto itself, setting it's own rules and policies, consciously skirting law and ethics.
What I can't figure out is if FBI is mostly old school, Hoover types, so convinced of conspiracies based on classification they assign a person or group (BLM is not a domestic terrorist group) that they ignore best practices for investigations, or if they're just so invested in their authority (power) that they see any means as justification for their desired ends.
It really feels like we need to clean decks, top to bottom, and start over.
14
This is a very Interesting Article.
3
Very illuminating.
I wish even more Americans had demonstrated in defense of civic freedoms back then than are lining up with signs against vaccination now.
13
This is an incredibly important and eloquently written article, and the abuses it reveals are crucial to understanding the post 9/11 era. The comments here blaming this brave man are also quite disturbing and in their own way important to understanding this era.
26
The article seems pretty sympathuc to this guy. But just like Snowden, whose breach of ethics was much, much greater, in my opinion, the way I see it, is if you have such a problem with what you have been assigned to do, you either quit, or complain to your senior officer. You DO NOT steal documents and give them to the press. As far as profiling people, I profile, you profile, the police profile, it is human nature to make a judgment on someone by physical appearance, it's just what people do . Just like Snowden, he threw away a comfortable life. Wife, kids, he threw them into turmoil for basically, nothing. Nothing changes. Nothing is going to change.
5
@BorisRoberts these agencies have no honor, the guy was heroic to expose them
18
@BorisRoberts quitting solves nothing. Complaining to one’s senior officer is likely to result in one being investigated, disciplined, and possibly fired, but the odds of it resulting in any possitive change are virtually nil.
The first mandate of any institution is to perpetuate its own existence. The second mandate of any institution is to protect and defend its core philosophy. Attempting to effect change from within is risky, frought with peril, and rarely effective. Even powerful individuals rarely succeed in causing substantive change within the institutions where they work.
All of this militates for going outside one’s institution to disclose its flaws and shortcomings. This is particularly true of secretive government agencies, who never willingly acknowledge their own criminality or change their behavior.
Albury did exactly what was necessary to bring the FBI’s practices to light and his willingness to do so at great personal cost to himself is admirable. The man has my respect.
15
@BorisRoberts
Remember, he tried with ACLU who I'm sad to see didn't take it as seriously as anyone reading this article should.
I have problems myself with handing it off to the Intercept. But these days, options are few.
Not sure how we can assume how his family feels - it's not mentioned in the article.
But he's no Snowden.
2
If he did this in Russia, he'd be unceremoniously killed, his family made to suffer, etc. Here at least he should have had effective counsel, which I doubt he had because of the national security farce we have constructed during our GWOT.
There is no evidence of evil animus or money changing hands for his information, so we should consider the good citizen claims he and others like Reality Winner have made in releasing the information they did. Our government is often out of control, and with Trump having wrecked much of our Inspector General system and whistleblower protections against abuse, it is only the heroes who leak for the good out our society and the protection of our Constitutional framework that protect us. They are paying dues in prison for us.
Let's try to remember that as we consider this case.
8
This man is a courageous hero who unlike his colleagues actually demonstrated that he had a brain and a conscience. Our country would be so much better off if we had more people like him willing to challenge faulty notions and beliefs that pervade our governmental systems. He demonstrated more courage and integrity than most people are capable of.
15
The lack of preparedness before 9/11, the blow to the governmental ego that it had been blindsided, the visceral, disabling fear of an unknown element hiding in plain sight -- all of this is now being visited on those who question the fear-driven orthodoxy around how best to treat the Covid pandemic. Think I'm exaggerating? How about the recent classification by Homeland Security of those American citizens who question the prevailing story line as "possible terrorist threats?" No discussion or debate has been allowed since the beginning.
4
@free range Discussion and debate (in the US at least) has been widespread and often venomous. Perhaps you mean that your viewpoint has not been favorably represented. The Constitution of Knowledge by Jonathan Rauch is an excellent book on the topic (of knowledge, not of covid).
1
@cspivak No, you're confusing actual discussion or debate with name-calling. That's what proponents of the official stance around Covid and the vaccines has indulged in from day one, reinforced by censorship, demonization, and abrupt dismissal. Take a look at at virtually all mainstream media, print or broadcast. You will find a one-sided, righteous, judgmental presentation of a complex topic.
Not embarrassing the FBI, or any other governmental entity, starts and stops with that entity not doing embarrassing, or worse, things. The use of secrecy rules to prevent the disclosure of inappropriate or illegal acts is exactly contrary to both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution, so I celebrate Mr. Albury's bravery and only hope that I would have the fortitude to do the same.
There are no "internal" mechanisms adequate to correct a bureaucracy intent on image maintenance, and the negative consequences of erring on the side of openness and accountability are to be greatly preferred to the construction of a surveillance state and the propaganda it inevitably emits to protect itself. Many of the comments on this article are more than adequate proof of the power of such propaganda.
We don't need secrecy to be safe; we need openness. We don't need the example of our power to change the world; we just need the power of our example. What we try to keep secret, successfully only to ourselves since the subjects of our abuses are quite aware of them, is corrosive to our power and the very idea of America.
24
How is the Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide a confidential document? It's much more relevant to the public's interaction with the FBI than any of the laws they're enforcing and apparently contains a HUGE number of clearly unconstitutional practices protected only by secrecy. It should be released and subjected to scrutiny and challenge.
22
I'm fairly suspicious of the logic that government officials who commits acts like this is. It's usually a fault to assume full knowledge of the levers and inputs into a complex system, of which the official is only a cog of. I wonder how whistle blowers consider that prior to acting. Recognizing the limits of one's own information environment is a key aspect of maturity, I think.
That said, what direction are liberal democracies demonstrably trending towards in order to combat network-driven terrorism at home. One example is Australia's Surveillance Legislation Amendment which passed in late August 2021, and enables the Australian Federal Police to do the following during an investigation (so prior to proving guilty):
- Modify (so, add information) or delete data of suspected offenders (note: under investigation == suspected)
- Collect intelligence
- Take control of a suspected offenders' online account (while under investigation)
Consider what trust this places in a police force during investigation stages and collecting evidence. Digital fingerprints matter tremendously today with regards to proving, or disproving guilt. The AFP is not too far away from the FBI. Australia used to not be too far away from the USA in mindset and governance.
If we are to raise a respectfully accountable eye to our law enforcement, believing that "no, that's something an authoritarian state would do, it could never happen in a democracy" doesn't seem to be a valid heuristic anymore.
6
Sounds like we have our own Stasi. I guess we all know how that worked out.
In my opinion, the way to combat extremism isn’t by making innocent people afraid, it’s by living up to our own ideals of a “free and open” society, by giving everyone a voice, and actually listening to the needs of those without power, whether it’s poor white rural folks or immigrants.
Most white men just don’t get it (I’m myself a white woman and my own brother denies gender discrimination exists in the tech industry, or that sexual assault is a problem in the military, even though both are well-documented and acknowledged by those in power).
When you’ve lived a life of privilege (whether due to gender, race, caste, money, education, etc.), you have a profound blind spot, a deep lack of empathy for others not like you because you yourself have never experienced discrimination, so it’s hard to believe it exists. I imagine there’s also some level of not wanting to admit it because that means you maybe didn’t really earn your status , etc.
Anyway, long story short, this is why a lack of diversity hurts law enforcement, and our country. So many blind spots. It’s just like the social media echo chambers, and every bit as dangerous. As these institutions lose respect, they lose their legitimacy. And that puts us all in danger.
36
@Mila
"Sounds like we have our own Stasi. "
We do.
3
When we empower our intelligence agencies with secrecy, confidentiality, and tools to invade privacy, it is done with the assumption that there are internal checks on legality, fairness, and ethics.
If, within the FBI and other agencies, terrorist is equated with “liberal”, we have a deep problem. We have an issue when agents believe only Democratic presidents are illegitimate. We have a problem when the goal is protection of right wing extremists and suppression and slander of progressives. We have a problem when Intelligence and law enforcement decide who are allies based on their religion and/or skin color.
We may have passed a tipping point in our nation. The over-reaction to 9/11, even at schools, was costly in time, money, and creativity. Bin Laden started the ball rolling, but our own paradoxical predisposition to un-Christian, unreasonable paranoia in the absence of facts or evidence landed us here. The question is, can we redeem ourselves and become a real national team?
Why do I keep hearing “Houston, we have a problem”?
15
@Isabel
Exactly this!
1
Overall, the FBI is one of our finest non-partisan federal institutions that other countries envy. But it does have serious issues needing address. The article's other story was the casual racism within the FBI ranks that routinely went unchallenged due to the extreme conformity. In most Fortune 500 companies, the casual spoken racism described by Mr. Albury would get you a call from HR, and possibly fired. The FBI inspector general should review this issue. Because of the FBI's power and authority, it's imperative that it have the full confidence and trust of the American people.
21
@David
Finest? Possibly.
Non-partisan. Definitely not. Look at how the FBI leadership was regularly leaking to Rudy Guiliani about Hillary.
Casual racism. I'd debate you on the adjective, but yes, this was clear how pervasive the racism and bigotry was, at least in the Minneapolis office. The language about Somail immigrants was sickening.
7
Albury seems to be an individual with worthy humanitarian values coupled with a rather limited view of the world at large. Two identifiers which would make the job demands of working for the FBI a rather uncomfortable match for anybody taking it on. As for Islamic jihad, it isn’t something derived from fantasy or a hidden agenda. But a plan of action proclaimed to the world as an ongoing project by those committed to carrying it out. That this man felt this investigative focus was ill advised shows he was the wrong person to be assigned and carry out the responsibilities it involved.
2
@Gazeeb Yes, Islamic extremism is a plan of action (albeit a vague one) for "those committed to carrying it out." But that really doesn't mean that every Muslim in the world and every person from Yemen is one of "those." Yet you believe that a person who doesn't believe that is ill suited to be an FBI agent?
6
@Gazeeb
Please explain how you arrived at the conclusion that he had a "limited view of the world at large."
I'll agree going into the FBI right out of college probably lent some idealism on his part.
But didn't the article also describe his parent's background, which tells me he knew exactly "the world at large" for a Black man in America, especially with respect to law enforcement and the FBI.
4
The country is only as good as the defense of our constitutional principles make us. The Constitution is what makes us special. Period.
Fighting terrorism is a laudable goal, but should not have occurred at the complete expense of the Constitution. We really are just another failed state without the Constitution
16
I read a similar story back in the 1950s. Just substitute, HUAC for FBI, and Hollywood Celebrities for Terrorists.
12
This former agent was obviously naive and overly idealistic - to the point that he violated his oath to the agency and, ultimately, his country. So, he was properly charged, plead out and served his time.
But, that doesn’t absolve the FBI of its wrongdoing and indifference to the harmful effects of its actions.
In particular, the most shocking and frightening elements of this story (b/c the idea of a naive whistleblower inside an large institution is not truly new) is the rank casual racism and “he should have complied” point of view inside a powerful government institution that has the power to kill US citizens.
As an African-American, this former agent’s descriptions harken back disturbingly to the FBI culture of Hoover. Nonetheless, a good amount of this occurred under Obama and Holder. So, there sits further evidence of no “post racial evolution” inside the US institutions that really matter.
And although I agree with the District Court Judge’s opinion on the influence of race here on his actions, if any reader was wondering why Black People don’t readily trust Law Enforcement, I can think of no better journalistic example (other than the Baltimore Gun Task Force story in the Baltimore Sun a few years ago) than this very story to explain why that mistrust and concern is well-founded.
21
@MidAtlResident
I don't agree that Mr Albury violated his oath to the country. I believe the oath is to uphold the Constitution. And I also believe that same Constitution says we have protections against unreasonable search and seizure. Much of what the article describes is the FBI skirts the line of violating this civil right as standard practice, and often falls on the wrong side of that fence.
7
A comprehensive article! An outstanding job!
15
but you said the Old Marine was a Good Guy!
3
I feel about Mr. Albury the way I would feel about a hypothetical government agent who tortured a suspect and in so doing, prevented the detonation of a nuclear bomb in a public place.
That agent would be arrested, investigated, charged and theoretically convicted of violating the suspect's human rights, and sentenced in acordance with law and custom.
The agent's employer would discharge him or her due to the conviction, but assuming no other service blemishes, with decorations for bravery and exemplary service, a strong letter of recommendation, and a full pension. The President would commute the sentence but not pardon the offense.
3
While I don't have enough here to question Mr. Albury's idealistic motives, it is quite clear that his judgement was lacking. As a very junior commissioned officer during the Vietnam War, I was well instructed and took to heart the distinctions between those issues, policies, and procedures that were to be set by those " above my pay grade", and those matters that were within my purview. This is not to say a junior officer could excuse clearly illegal activity by claiming he was "just following orders", but he must certainly follow facially, arguably, and even debatable instructions from lawful authority above his rank, after lodging appropriate objections, but one must never defy proper authority unless one is prepared to pay the price. Terry Albury paid the price.
8
@Ben He does not complain about the price he paid. He went in with open eyes. Each person must act according to their conscience. I don't see any lack of good judgment in this man.
31
@Tautologie, I understand your apparent admiration for this man. However, when one acts in a way that results in one freely and voluntarily admitting (under oath and in Court) that one has committed a serious crime, there is, at a minimum, an admission of bad judgement.
2
@Ben
Murder is a serious crime.
Rape is a serious crime.
Sharing information that has been classified for dubious and possibly self-serving reasons, while against the law is NOT justice.
We all would do well to differentiate.
And I acknowledge that there are "codes" between agents and military. But it seems that much of those lead actually to the sanctioning of immoral behavior (I point to Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher as an example.)
I don't agree that the policies he exposed were not within his "purview." They were the very directions he had been given to conform to for his job. If that's not his purview, I don't know what would be.
Those of us who study the Tragedies of Shakespeare are familiar with the concept of the tragic hero - he is motivated to do what he sees as right, knowing that he risks his own downfall. Mr Albury seems of that persuasion.
4
The fact that we have been almost free of terrorist activity, unlike Europe, is striking. How much of this can be attributed to the programs Mr. Albury describes? What would the situation be if these programs had not existed? These are the questions we don't have answers to as yet.
9
@Amos M They didn't catch terrorists, by and large. Which means they spent untold sums of taxpayer money and demonstrably provided no benefit.
16
@Amos M
Your comment exhibits such dangerous ends-justifies-the-means thinking.
This young man is a hero. The moral compass of people like him, and of those government employees who testified during the Trump impeachment, to name a few others, is what keeps our country safe from morphing into a militarized and undemocratic monstrosity, flying the same flag but otherwise trampling on rights and American values. He's done more for his country than any number of race or religion-based interrogations.
23
@Amos M, Are we from terrorist activity, really? What about all of the domestic terrorism that the FBI claims they investigate in the same way?
7
"Violent extremism" describes both the terrorist actions taken on American soil AND the posture of American foreign policy towards most Middle Eastern countries for the last several decades.
OBL highlighted three specifics of US FoPo when recruiting for Al-Qaeda:
* keeping a military presence on the Islamic holy lands of Saudi Arabia after Gulf War I
* unwavering financial, military, and diplomatic support of Israel's occupation and oppression in the Palestinian territories
* fostering an environment of instability and suffering in Muslim countries, through bombings, sanctions, and coups
In his autobiography Ronald Reagan said that the US did not understand "the irrationality of Middle Eastern politics" and reflected that a more neutral stance might have prevented the Beirut barracks attack.
Candidate George W. Bush won support when he laid out his pre-9/11 foreign policy stance: "If we're an arrogant nation, they'll resent us. If we're a humble nation, but strong, they'll welcome us."
If our leaders can refrain from initiating confrontation abroad, the FBI will be less likely to initiate confrontation here at home.
3
Nearly twenty years ago, my wife and I were attempting to check in for a flight on an airline that I was then currently employed
with, as a pilot with eighteen years of service. We were unsuccessful at both the self serve kiosks, and with agents at the ticket counter.
Eventually, a tenacious agent manager discovered the problem: “You’re on the no-fly list!”
Incredulous, I called the Vice President of flight operations, and then our director of security, who shared that I was not alone.
I asked what we were doing about it, and his reply was: “Well, there’s nothing we can do.” Bizarrely, this blackball did not prevent me
from working. I could still fly the plane. I just couldn’t be a passenger. Yes, you read that right. So years of vetting, background
checks and fingerprinting both with the airline and the military were meaningless.
I called my congressional representatives who dismissed me as though I had the plague. I would share my tale with friends,
assuming they would be equally shocked at what was happening, and observing they could be next, but instead they distanced.
I called the ACLU. They were quite familiar with my circumstance, and explained how supremely fortunate I was, not to have my bank accounts frozen and be suspended from working. My thoughts: “really, they can do that?” They put me in contact with an ombudsman
in DC who somehow was able to remove my admittedly very common name from the list.
123
The No-Fly list was a very clumsy attempt to limot risk without due process.
MANY people with very common names found themselves barred. All that had to happen was for some Islamic radical to use a monicker, even my name or something as innocuous as "Robert Miller," and all Robert Millers would find it near impossible to board a plane.
The ACLU was, as usual, overstating it. Most no-fly denominations never affected anything but flying, but it was a blunt and unfair policy.
10
@Shiva You were probably lucky that the powers in the shadows who put you on the no-fly list didn't notice that you were a pilot. They'd have decided that you were the next Mohamed Atta, and you'd now still be in a small cell in an undisclosed location.
15
Agents take an oath to "...support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." They are not pledging to abuse their power or cover up for the government agency employing them. An unaccountable Secret Police is a "domestic enemy."
42
Yes, the actions, policies and unaccountable positions took by the FBI, as described by Mr. Albury, are the SOP’s for Dictatorships and repressive regimes.
14
This was a well written one sided slant on a series of events. A misguided disillusioned agent who could have picked a better way to deal with his conflicts.
10
@David Morissette
You think so? What could he have done?
5
As a followup to my last post, Mr. Albury was granted a position of extreme sensitivity and trust in the United States government.
As a former Fed, I know how grueling it is to compete with thousands of other candidates for a job of this caliber.....for every slot you have countless applicants. Will you be the lucky selectee by the career board who have to evaluate the credentials of each candidate?
He destroyed his career and his actions threatened the National Security of the United States. He could have simply resigned and found another career. This man is no hero.
14
@ExFED
Releasing a 'How To' manual on our domestic surveillance improprieties in no way compromised national security. That's just ridiculous. He wasn't selling technical secrets to the Russians, for God's sake.
You people seriously need to get over yourselves.
I agree he's not a 'hero,' but only because Americans already understand how you operate....largely because we have, for now, a free press.
12
@ExFED His actions strengthened our national security.
8
He’s more if a hero than you, as your response only goes to show why the problems he flagged keep perpetuating themselves. Your oath isn’t to serve the FBI - it’s to serve us - the people.
6
Post 9-11 when the Patriot Act was passed, I knew our 'rights' as U.S.citizens were gone. Twenty years later, why is any reader surprised by this article?
32
@Reader
That's hyberbole. Our rights are not gone.
Our government took measures, some of which may have been overkill or had unintended consequences, in response to a horrible event. Having conversations about that is appropriate and holding our elected officials accountable to correct the course is right. We can also seek remedy in the courts. We have the right to assemble and to petition government for redress of grievances.
None of that involves leaking classified information.
3
Oh they're gone alright...ask any family member of an African American who was gunned down for "failure to comply", as if that warranted an immediate death sentence without trial.
11
I thought the revelations in the article and what it says about the gap of who we are as a society and country and what we believe we are was upsetting, and then I read the many comments blaming Mr. Aubury. Perhaps the gap is only in my imagination.
18
Just imagine how bad things were before so many of the abuses, the beatings, and yes, the murders were recorded on cell phones, on security cameras, etc. Law enforcement were getting away with battery, frame-ups, extortion, and all manner of Corrupt Practices with impunity and immunity. Technology has reduced that but we still have a long way to go.
24
@Brez
Law enforcement were getting away with murder?
Not in this universe.
Try taking away qualified immunity and see how many people want to be cops.
1
@Joshua Marquis Sounds good to me!
1
Terry Aubry not only deserves a presidential pardon, he deserves the Presidential Medal of Freedom for putting his life on the line to defend all our liberties.
145
Sad that there are so few comments on this very important article. Elsewhere in the Times, there are thousands of comments on the latest petty outrage.
28
@JimBob
This is a long article and not on the top of the page... just wait.
3
I find it very unsettling that throughout a person's lifetime may have been determined on your family and friends that have worked for the U.S. government or even for a foreign government. With or without your knowledge.
6
Years ago, when I worked on a radical women's newspaper, an FBI agent came around to interrogate my elderly neighbor, a refugee from Ukraine. She had strong feelings about not informing the secret police, and let me know they'd been by. In any case, my conversations with her were only about commiserating over the death of her beloved cat.
Later, they sent an agent provocateur who tried to get me involved in committing murder. When he laid out his scheme my alarm bells went off and I got away as fast as I could.
The FBI hasn't changed its spots since the early days of the Red Scare, the persecution of Martin Luther King, surveilling peace activists, and the more recent case here in Portland of the "Christmas tree bomber." What happened was the father of a teenager had called them because he was afraid the kid was being radicalized by some Muslim preacher. Instead of intervening, of telling the boy to back off, the FBI concocted a plot to entrap him. The boy got a 30-year sentence. I subsequently had a conversation with a friend, an FBI analyst who felt guilty about what his agency had done--as my friend put it, ruining this kid's life in order to convince the public that there's an FBI agent behind every mailbox.
31
@Martha Shelley
As someone whose family was followed around Europe in the late 60s because of my father advocacy against the Vietnam War, the FBI of today is radically different than the one of 50 years ago,
The Portland "teenager" was 19, had previously contributed to Jihadi publications and was given several alternatives to killing thousands in Pioneer Square, including "praying over them." He pushed the button on what he thought was a huge bomb, having been actually shown another smaller "test" explosion.
He hoped to kill thousands. The FBI did great work.
2
@Joshua Marquis
Sorry, I disagree. The 19-year-old had no knowledge of how to make a bomb. The FBI agent pretended he'd put one together for the purpose. They could've done what the kid's father pleaded for, take him in, let him know he was under surveillance, and scared the daylights out of him.
I was an idiot at age 19. So were most of us, though no doubt you are an exception.
As I remember, something similar happened with a man of limited intellect on the East Coast. I don't know how many years that guy got, but the FBI shouldn't be in the business of entrapping people who had no ability to do harm, and destroying their lives.
9
@Joshua Marquis
Many respondents to this article say Mr Albury should have done something different.
In the Portland case, the FBI should have done something different.
I don't know what the "alternatives" FBI offered to killing, but it was the FBI who gave him the option to use a bomb, then built it themselves, and gave it to him. That's notching their belt, and not in any way "great work."
4
It's pretty clear that right wing extremism and racism exists in law enforcement which stains the institutions and results in a growing disrespect for and disillusion with all levels of law enforcement. We need more Terry Albury's to help clean up these institutions before our faith in equal justice is ruined forever.
66
"the Muslim Brotherhood, which Albury was taught was akin to a Mafia organization with shadowy links to terrorism..." Humm. That is where I stopped reading. Does Reitman mean to insinuate the MB does not have links to terrorism? Seriously?
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-lesson-in-hate-109822568/
7
Does MB have any more connections to terrorism than do the ‘governments’ of several ‘democratic’ countries?
3
A huge thank you to Terry Albury for your courage and integrity, and Janet Reitman for an excellent article and deep dive into serious abuses at the FBI.
122
Clearly after reading this article I would discourage any young family member from applying for a position with the FBI. I hope President Biden will address these issues.
19
In the 1950's, as a middle class white suburban kid attending the University of Wisconsin, I went to a state senate hearing on weather communists should be allowed to speak on campus. When the committee asked for public comment I said I thought they should be allowed. The committee member already knew my name. Enough said.
20
The article presents one side of the story very well. I liked the article. I admire Mr. Albury in several ways. The article was very effective in describing racism within the FBI.
But there's another side to the story. The FBI was roundly criticized for failing to stop the 9/11 terrorists despite, in hindsight, many signs of danger. The FBI also failed to stop Timothy McVeigh's brand of terrorism, and was widely criticized for failure to follow up on signs in that case also.
The author of this article states that the FBI started but
then dropped preliminary investigations of the Boston Marathon bombers and the Texas army base mass murderer. That's an argument that the FBI dropped the case too soon. It is not an argument that no investigation should have been started.
There have been hundreds of acts of terrorism in the United States since 9/11, along with hundreds of attacks in other countries. The actors include jihadists, white supremacists, anarchists, and hard-to-classify terrorists.
Terrorism was and is a real threat. The article doesn't make that clear. We are all much safer because of the FBI efforts to infiltrate possible cells of terrorism.
The article makes clear that the FBI went too far in many ways. But the larger context is that the FBI did not go far enough in other ways. This article is enlightening on one side of the conflict between civil liberties and prevention of mass murder, but the other side of the story must be told also.
13
@David N. "But the larger context is that the FBI did not go far enough in other ways. "
The problem with your "analysis" is that it assume the FBI and other law "enforcement" organizations must break laws to stop bad people. Not true at all. Instead they need to make the case for how the laws need to be changed, including informing the American People exactly how they need to operate. It the America People think they are full of it, then they need to abide by the law.
The real problem is that there is no accountability for law enforcement illegalities. Very few , if any, law enforcement people are arrested for breaking the laws they claim they need to break. Why is that? Why was this guy prosecuted for leaking the truth but the people who broke the laws were not?
When law enforcement breaks the law that is corruption. Plain and simple.
26
@David N. As sad as it is when a terrorist plot succeeds, we're better off "letting ten guilty men go free rather than convict one innocent man." That's been our principle for a long time, it's what prevents us from becoming a police state where efficiency and effectiveness of "law enforcement" is placed over all other values. Be careful what you wish for, David.
9
@Joe Rockbotttom There's no evidence in this case or in your comment that the FBI broke the law. If you want to make such a claim, you need to cite the law and the instance.
3
This is what happens when “My country, right or wrong” becomes the default position, which it was after 9/11.
One variant on that wrong-headedness is “My country cannot be wrong”, which many commenters here appear to embrace.
29
A well done Profile? Is it a new story? Is it news? Was Mr. Albury born under a rock? I sympathize with the whole tone of Terry Albury being conflicted racially and morally. Thats my takeaway of the slant of the article. But come on...know your history people!!! After 9/11 there were decisions made in every form and branch of law enforcement all over the world. Extreme calculations were made, that law enforcement oversight and thought had to change. They became radically hawkish and more "proactive" in intelligence gathering. Implementing draconian measures. Jeff Sessions, although not the AG then, was around for that. Mueller was around for that. An entire generation became better equipped overnight. Everyone got bigger budgets. The FBI got a counterterrorism branch. Even the NYPD got an overseas field office/their own counterterrorism unit and a few Light Armored Vehicles. The U.S. of A./ "We, The People..." were "legally" torturing people for information for goodness sake! The judge was right! There were other avenues to try before breaking the law. TA, "You have to break a few eggs....", sometimes you have to get your hands dirty. I feel as though I've read this story before but I still don't think victims of the Boston Marathon bombings would really care much about an FBI agents ethical struggle, e. g.
3
@Edmond One of Albury's points was that much of the FBI "investigative" activity not only was illegal but was INEFFECTIVE. Sure, people were panicked after 9/11, but that doesn't mean the FBI gets to do whatever it wants -- illegal means are almost always easier than legal means --rather than study its outcomes and improve its methods.
13
@AnneRB Yes, I know, I read the article! That does indeed seem to be "His" experience and his view. His view of and experience with "inefficiency" does not an argument make! This is a supposed "news" article. I am not making a snap moral judgement here like most from one article. I am pointing out that there is much more ethical complexity involved with this story than is addressed here. Especially regarding the ongoing process of recruitng informants and intelligence networking. Particularly when it is different now as compared to post 9/11 where terrorism threats in this country have become more deeply obfuscated and diverse.
1
The Constitution is clear, the government serves the people, not the other way around. Like so many government entities and politicians, they invoke patriotism but practice fascism.
35
While I understand the disillusionment of an intelligent African American former counter intelligence agent there’s some crucial points missing. The following is not to make points but shedding some attention on pre 911 reported events that may have caused profiling.
* First, he should’ve listened to his dad’s admonition,
* second, he failed to understand 911 starting because the FBI ignored reports of behavior of Middle East men taking flight lessons without concerns for landing protocols,
* and thirdly, at NYC airport agent was reluctant to question middle eastern passengers because they might take offense and report being profiled.
No one’s without bias or prejudices — but we don’t want to trigger another 911 because of fears of profiling.
There is no doubt blowing the whistle is an ethical decision —- some of us apply the system to extreme and others go public. However, weakening national security while shining lights on racism has consequences. The end game may cost the lives of pedestrians as well as white and black and other agents doing their jobs.
What’s needed is Better training and more diversity among recruiters and selecting officials.
3
What a beautifully written and edited example of informative and easily read journalism. And I spent a long time being a journalist, so I know. Kudos to Mr. Albury. You are a courageous soul.
62
The judge was right... he had other options.
He could have filed his concerns through the proper channels within the FBI. Yes, maybe that would've cast him as a pariah and maybe his complaints would've gone nowhere but he would have done his duty as a concerned FBI agent without breaking the law. I mean, I'm pretty sure there are internal channels within the FBI for just this sort of thing. But it sounds like he wanted to have it both ways... not to be identified as a troublemaker (because clearly he was proud of the underlying work he did as an FBI agent) and still expose the shortcomings within the agency. Instead he chose to break the law.
The judge was right. He had options, which I interpret as the following:
1. Address his concerns internally and risk being a pariah.
2. Push for an assignment where he didn't have to participate in the activities he felt were unjust, e.g., the cushy airport job, and do his time until he was eligible to retire with full pension.
3. Quit and move on with his life. With the background he had, he could easily have found a way to put the noble aspects of his training to work in a more rewarding career.
You could make the argument that without the disclosures published in the Intercept, there would be no Supreme Court ruling upholding the right to sue individual agents. But how much of a net positive that is can be fiercely debated.
Ultimately, the upside for Mr. Albury is there's still plenty of opportunity for him to explore option 3.
5
@Bruce None of the options you put forward would have addressed Americans' need to know what was being done in their name. From the culture he describes, the FBI would have done a very good job making sure nothing left the building that could have embarrassed them.
11
Mr. Arbury miscalculated the impact of his revelations. Did he not read anything about J. Edgar Hoover? I wish he had found amentor-not a journalist eager to publish-who could have offered counsel. And how did Mr. Arbury's family manage when he was incarcerated? I'm not sure how Mr. Arbury could have solved his conflict. Institutional racism is bigger than one righteous, intellectual black panther.
4
@Nancy D I'm 70, female and white - for context - and I consider your characterization of Mr Arbury in your final sentence to be a racist put-down. An intellectual, patriotic, black civil servant who knows his Constitution would be more like it.
11
The FBI’s nonchalant response to January 6 tells me all I need to know about the organization.
They don’t care about terror. They care about locking up and killing certain people.
21
@Cat
Please explain your characterization of the FBI's response to the January 6th insurrection attempt as "nonchalant."
To date, 631 people have been charged in connection with this this event. Are you denying that the FBI was critical in this or are you characterizing charging 631 and counting people as nonchalant?
6
@Cat
Who does the FBI care about killing? Please share some details of people or groups of people the FBI kills. I was unaware that the FBI goes around killing people. That's a claim not even made in this article.
8
There is no doubt the Isis Boka Haram and many more extremist groups are very dangerous and incredibly evil in their pursuit of there misguided agendas but is sending drones and cruise missiles in to kill one terrorist and often 10 civilians the way to curb extremist views?Perhaps we need to find a way to contain the fires and stop stoking them with gasoline.The US is perhaps heading towards another civil war maybe the CIA and Homeland Security need to look inward to save America from itself.
11
I think he is a true Patriot and the exact type of person who should still be in the FBI not prison. What an incredible betrayal of the constitution and personal and religious freedom by the FBI. He is as brave as they come to do what he did to protect those freedoms.
30
Leaking confidential documents is a risky business, both judicially but also morally. That having been said, I don't think many people believe that intelligence agencies are about upholding codes of honor, but rather about doing everything in their power for the benefit of their country as they perceive it. The borderline is defined by a risk assessment of being caught and the consequences. Hence the sensitivity to leaks.
2
Somehow I can't believe FBI agents like the ones Mr. Albury describes are working quite so hard at policing white supremacist organizations as they are at harassing Muslims. I can't believe they describe white supremacists as "... dirty, smelly, disgusting, worthless pieces of [expletive]” as they do Somali refugees. Some of these FBI agents are probably members of the white supremacist organizations they're charged with "investigating." I'm a white person and I'm related to people who think like that. It's truly terrifying.
115
Mr. Albury was giving effect and purpose to his discontent when he was writing his "PhD dissertations" in closing out unsubstantiated investigations. That was good work and doing good.....the best he could do lawfully within the harsh inertia of that FBI culture.
Perhaps he could have pushed harder internally to do more of that, so as to undo the damage. However, the article does suggest the obvious futility and likely career death by "going upstairs."
Live with it, resign or go public. He made his tough choice. He paid the price. Virtue is its only reward.
21
I have some experience with classified documents and classification guidelines, and it seems to me that the majority of classification decisions are made not to protect national security, but to hide wrongdoing or embarrassing situations (embarrassing to either the government or to individuals within it).
As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” Thank you, Mr. Albury.
211
@BBunsen "it seems to me that the majority of classification decisions are made not to protect national security, but to hide wrongdoing or embarrassing situations (embarrassing to either the government or to individuals within it). "
That is exactly my take as well. Just protecting the guilty.
20
I wonder how many of us who were studying either Muslim societies and cultures, the nexus of empire and globalizing trade, postcolonialism, or any combination thereof were targeted by the FBI. How many budding academic teaching careers were destroyed?
I was among those grad students specializing in such topics. In the years after passing my exams, finding even an adjunct job was tough. I made no secret of my disdain for the Patriot Act, the Iraq invasion, nor of my pacifism. I always thought the GWOT as it unfolded was akin to using thermonuclear warfare to kill a scorpion nest -- dangerous overkill. And I wasn't the only one who thought this, not by a long shot.
24
To expose the wrong-doings of the US govt is a very lonely fight. At great personal cost, Mr. Albury did the right thing. I wish him the best.
71
But... WHY is it such a lonely fight?
Is he lonely now?
Could people... rectify that?
2
Albury’s dad was right, even if he said it in a crude way.
6
I hope you’re wrong, Stale Frybread, but I suspect you’re right.
Another commenter said something to the effect that the agents of the FBI and other services really are trying their best to protect the country and its citizens as they see it.
My deep concern is that the majority of these officers, like so many across the country, see the USA as a white, Christian nation... mostly peopled with Republicans, and recognizing any “Socialist” thinking or policy is the same as treason.
5
@Pottree
You may be correct.
But I doubt it.
Too many instances of FBI using informants to sow suspicion in poor and marginalized communities with the express intent of preventing securing of civil rights. And that's where terrorism is not an issue.
1
Dissenters are the saints of American bureaucracy.
Most people pledge allegiance to the flag, but Terry Albert—like other dissenters—pledge allegiance to the people.
44
Let me get this straight:
An experienced special agent with the FBI moves to Minneapolis for a lower cost of living and to avoid doing the counterterrorism work he loathes…
Minneapolis, an American city world famous for the fact that it that houses the largest Somali population in America (a population that is largely Sunni Muslim) and he’s outraged he gets pulled back into counterterrorism work against his will? And therefore becomes a whistle blower?
Something doesn’t smell right. Either that or he wasn’t that great of a law enforcement agent to begin with, not seeing that coming. More digging on his reason for relocating to that very specific part of the country would have been welcome.
7
@Gen
My guess is that he thought he would be spared from working CT but was ultimately pushed back into it. I agree he could have moved to a field office with less CT work.
Well, I would question the "world famous" part. Actually, the world is not as interested in local affairs of american cities as you might think.
1
“Chatting up” is UK slang for “flirting with.” It does not mean “chatting with.”
4
A woman called the police because she suspected a black man (bird watcher) was up to no good after his asking her to leash her dog in Central Park according to ordinance. She was later charged with a misdemeanor. The Central Park incident happened the same day as the arrest and murder of George Floyd.
9/11 happened with terrorists exclusively from Saudia Arabia, operating out of Afghanistan, and Bush (and congress) invade both Iraq and Afghanistan to the cost of Trillions of of average American tax payer dollars. The worst part, 100s of thousands of deaths because of these decisions.
Yeah, the United States, it's policy makers, the military industrial complex, self-righteous MAGA attitude has got a real problem.
But, Biden's speech yesterday with the message of repurposing our military, our role in the world and the needs at home gives a glimpse of hope in leadership for a very promising idea of democracy that has gone very wrong.
Wrong or right, Mr. Albury lives in a country where an article like this is still published and, thank god, with enough persistence, there are still avenues for justice to emerge. Sadly, the actions of the Republicans, most notably in Texas, would like like to take voting rights, women's rights, health protection policies away from people. The Republicans call that "freedom".
Thank you for the article that raises more questions than one about law in America.
32
The US has a brilliant Constitution that has never yet been allowed to be the shining beacon it could be. It is not too late, I sincerely hope, for the necessary reforms to the electoral process to bend the arc of history back toward “liberty and justice for all”.
5
@Dana
Small correction to your comment, "9/11 happened with terrorists exclusively from Saudia Arabia" (Dana's spelling here).
It is my understanding the 9/11 hijackers came from four countries; fifteen were citizens of Saudi Arabia, two were from the United Arab Emirates, one from Lebanon, and one from Egypt, all affiliated with the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda. In response we might as well have attacked the Swiss navy. It would have been a shorter, less costly war anyway.
P.S. Sorry about the Pilgrim (well, replica) sinking in Dana Point. I suspect no one is before that mast now.
P.S.S. re: your last sentence. I believe you may be in danger of confusing law with justice. It's a common error.
4
The constitution is like the bible. With enough effort, it can be interpreted to suit one's needs.
There are so many things in this article that make me wonder.
Why did I only hear this story on Sept 1, 2021? I take some responsibility but the media I consume should have highlighted it a bit more.
It's my guess that most Americans agree with and support the FBI's tactics. Some commented soon after 9/11 - "There go our civil liberties." Boy were they right.
The way most people across the political spectrum worship our national police. The FBI is regularly lauded by left and right for doing what it takes to protect us. When investigating Trump, Mueller was regularly described in almost saint like terms by left commentators.
Thank you Ms. Reitman for writing this story. Its required reading. And thank you Terry Albury for your courage in speaking truth to power.
40
If he's such an idealist, why didn't he request a transfer back to the Crimes Against Children division? Protecting the innocent.
Or, he could have resigned. Former FBI agents are in great demand in corporate security departments.
9
Or another way to see it is that because he is an idealist he did the hard thing and risked his freedom and career so that the public can see what is done in our name. We need more idealists like this. It is idealism like this that will save our country.
51
@Jonathan Katz I think you missed the point Mr. Katz.
23
Right or left, if you believe in democracy and want it to flourish you need to see our lack of concern with civil rights and the secrets we keep to hide it as threats every bit as dangerous as terrorism.
We will tell you what you need to know because we don't trust you with the truth seems like the unofficial motto of our security networks today.
35
“You can’t handle the truth.”
"We’ve built this entire apparatus and convinced the world that there is a terrorist in every mosque, and that every newly arrived Muslim immigrant is secretly anti-American, and because we have promoted that false notion, we have to validate it....we take people from foreign countries where they have secret police and recruit them as informants and capitalize on their fear to ensure there is compliance. It’s a very dangerous and toxic environment, and we have not come to terms with the fact that maybe we really screwed up here,” [mr. albury] says."
yup, that is what groupthink looks like. see also, the DEA for a different group and a different mandate: an institution looking for a cause and justifying it in the institution's own collective thinking. even worse, compliance and agreement at both institutions have the threat of firearms and other forms of violence behind them.
that's why we have democracy and regular elections, as well as freedom of the press: to get a change in perspective from civilian leaders and civilians when old methods of thinking become outdated and incorrect, and at times, morally distasteful.
19
First, let me say Terry Albury thank you for your service.
Second, I have to admit I often struggle not to sneer when I see the phrase "Articles like these are why I support the New York Times" in the comment section. More often than not I see the NYT as an eager stenographer to America's National Security Complex. Well... in this case... I have to say The Gray Lady can still surprise and even if it can be argued to be rewarming the good work of the very praiseworthy Intercept what is clear is that these sorts of articles appearing in the NYT with its opinion leading clout and much wider audience and impact are to be commended.
Third, articles like this are important because they pierce the dangerous often media enhanced halo around para-military organizations like the FBI and various policing entities. Great people like Albury join these organizations and stay with them. But remember while admirable in many ways this is often a personality type that gravitates towards environments steeped in hierarchy, displays of power and respect. They are great at implementing - often heroically - policy but should never be allowed to create or distort it.
Oversight by "civilian minded" bodies must be integrated into the process in a way that does not allow the body to be "captured" by the allure of military and paramilitary "codes" and "bro" attitudes.
Albury and those like him would be perfect for such an oversight job.
Terry Albury for the new position of FBI Ombudsmen.
141
I am very thankful no longer to live in what is rapidly becoming a police state.
I am reminded of what Pastor Martin Niemöller wrote long ago concerning another similar country:
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
"Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
"Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
"Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
You still have time to derail this deadly stupidity. I
hope you will. That would be a wonderful gift for your children.
68
@Frank : Canada is not that great a country
8
@Cameron
yes, Canada has had its issues, BUT the US is now careening in a downwards spiral.
13
@Cameron
Canada is a very modest country. They know they aren't great, but they try.
We think we're great, and we are not.
17
Organizational pride is one thing. But, sadly, it often keeps abuses under wraps. This fits in that category. Unfortunately there was no other way for Albury to get his story out.
In another sense, given our recent departure from Afghanistan, lurching towards the exits, this fits in the narrative of the overall effort there, to root out terrorism, going off in many unproductive, unfocused, and chaotic directions, yielding little if anything for the effort.
Is he a hero? Not from the tradition bound, rule following and indiscriminate rule breaking FBI's standpoint. But he did accomplish something no one else was willing to do. And that took guts. So, I thank him for his service.
26
I am (as far as I know - one can never be sure in today's America) a law-abiding citizen, but based on exposures such as this and dozens more of the KGB and Gestapo behavior of most, if not all, of our so-called protective services, I would not assist any FBI, CIA, __PD, or any other GO outfit in any matter whatsoever. If you are stopped and/or detained for any reason (even a traffic stop) your only answer to any question should be, "I invoke my 5th amendment rights, and if you want to ask me any questions, I demand a lawyer."
13
@Brez
I agree with this position entirely.
If they wish our respect, they need to earn it.
And we - the privledged white citizenry - are the best ones to call for it, and push for it.
1
I have been pulled out of the line at the Denver Airport. The entire operation was sketchy and unconstitutional. They went through everything I had and found nothing. They made me strip down and found nothing. I had no rights. They wouldn’t tell me what they were looking for or why. I’m a white male but there was no privilege for me. I’m 65 years old with no criminal record. My son is a medical doctor. Maybe it was because I am a proud progressive Democrat. Ant democracy we had ended when the Supreme Court declared George Bush President without any constitutional authority to do so. The votes the Court refused to allow be counted showed Gore won Florida.
59
@Darren similar experiences in the early 2000s. It even happened in the UK and the Netherlands, when I traveled for academic research purposes. I was wrapped up to the gills in Heathrow in January, including an angora cap and a shawl. I looked at the agent questioning me and said "I'm from the Deep South, and it's freezing here. I'm in grad school and study early modern trade in India. I just want to be warm. Don't expect me to wear a miniskirt and show off cleavage in this weather." Traveling back from India in summer wearing Indian-style women's clothing was a similarly sensible response to the blast-furnace heat on embarkation. The paranoia was everywhere.
This country lost its mind and much of its good sense right after 9/11. We indulged in the hubris of thinking that invasion and nation-building overseas and metastasizing the surveillance state at home were proper responses to an international crime. What ensued was tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. While I'm not sure how we recover from that, I do still hope that maybe we can begin to do so now that we're out of Afghanistan.
15
@Darren
I'm grateful you brought up the stoppage of the Florida vote count. This was a major attack on our democracy—and the Democrats "rolled over"—and continued to do so. Could the Supreme Court be sued in a class action lawsuit? Perhaps a remedy to declare that any SCOTUS appointee since that time is illegitimate???
15
Stories like this are why I subscribe to the NYTimes. Terry Albury is shown as a tragic figure caught up in a tragic narrative that is as old as our history, a man of conscience flawed by tragic history that renders conscience moot. The FBI wasn't captured by Trump, it was already fully engaged in his MAGA project, just as it has been from its inception. The United States is precariously poised at a critical juncture in its history, an inflection point rarely afforded in a peaceful society. We can either revert to our tragic norms or transcend our history to become something new, something more, something better, if we dare. This article reveals that, from the FBI's perspective and underlying culture, it will act with the full force of its authority and even beyond it to preserve our tragic norms even if such action renders our nation something less than a democratic republic, something that can no longer be governed by the rule of law under a Constitution with a Bill of Rights.
17
Mr Aubery is an enigma.
@Mark Who's that?
Cops lie. What a revelation.
15
“Islam” didn’t do 9/11, and neither did “Muslims;” the Saudis did. But look whose bosom chums were conveniently in charge of our country at the time, and look at the bloody changes they were able to force upon us in the aftermath, the fake WMDs, the phony wars, the torture, the racial profiling, Guantanamo and the domestic surveillance state. It’s how we got to here.
73
@Keef In cucamonga Completely agree especially about our corrupt relationship with the Saudis.
24
@Keef in cucamong: One more word: Khashoggi
13
@Cat
yes but we punish . . . Cuba?
16
The FBI should have an undercover agent in every proud boy meeting, every Qanon group and every "militia". They probably don't. Those crazy groups are made up of traitors to their country. Alas, they are comprised of right wing white men, who are given a nod and a wink. I'll bet the FBI was trying to put an end to Antifa, because Fox told them do so.
51
@NYshack Albury's leaks showed that the FBI IS investigating white supremacists in law enforcement, so maybe they do.
4
I respect Mr. Albury. I have little respect for James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Christopher Wray or the fascist institution that the FBI has become. Thank you for your service Mr. Albury.
24
"Former law-enforcement officers needed to stick together, Slager suggested. Albury walked away. I am nothing like you, he thought."
Ooh no? Tell yourself another one, G-man. You know what you did.
2
Much of what these agents do is like anticommunist red scare actions back in the 1920's. What is scary is the mindless "white hat Vs black hats" attitudes of so many federal and other cops and in so many US agencies-I always think of The Secret Agent by Conrad-a machine pushing and pushing for actions and"outrages" to prove the inferiority of the British system of parliamentary democracy-ending only when an innocent is sacrificed to keep the honey flowing.
We Americans have become as bad as the nameless East Europeans who worked the switches in Conrad's story- we are just sure what we do is always on God's side.
12
This article throws a harsh light, not on what Albury did but on what our government does with whistleblowers. In spite of laws to the contrary, we persecute and prosecute them regardless of whether the information they reveal is true or not.
Just look at what happened to those who testified about Trump’s illegal effort to get the President of Ukraine to create dirt about Biden or his family: lost positions and eventual forced departures. And many people continue to think Trump was perfectly fine to try to shakedown Ukraine.
31
Agent Albury deserves a medal, not prison. He is a true patriot. When the government becomes a totalitarian force exempting itself from the rule of law and the rule of the people, it is imperative that these actions be exposed. After all, what use is national security if what is being secured is no longer a democracy?
37
An incredible article; so much to think about. Two things come to mind right now, though.
I wonder if these investigative tactics are now being used to find white supremacy groups, individuals, that might wish to repeat the Capitol attack. All those agents, all those comments overheard for years by Mr. Albury, do they now have ….thick files?
And the training. As with police training, we need more light shed on the process, as well as the recruitment decisions. Who gets chosen, and why. What is being taught, the manuals, the instructions in our police, FBI, and other agencies.
Those things shouldn’t be secret in the first place.
Senator Frank Church. A Democrat from Idaho. Maybe Idaho needs to ask why….a man of his caliber….seems an impossibility today.
25
The article is clearly sympathetic to its subject, but this is not a black and white situation. For example, consider the Boston bomber. He had a file that was closed. FBI was clearly on to something there. But, up until the day he committed the terrorist act, he would have been one of those “innocents harassed by the FBI” who the whistle blower was empathizing with and went to jail to protect.
7
@Independent
so what is the basis for FBI to close the file?
Could it be that either of them 'fit' the FBI's predetermined picture of a criminal terrorist?
I think that, much like we see in other law enforcement cases (not just murder, but also rape,) they decide how a victim of rape should behave, they decide who matches the witness description.
They're not really "following the facts," they're predisposed - by background, by prejudice, by political leanings, by their own sense of superiority and infallibility, to ignore some facts, and push others.
@Independent Funny how you fail to consider that there could have been more clandestine forces trying to use Tsarnaev to their own ends, and that him “falling through the cracks” was a result of some starry eyed idealist and not cold-blooded realpolitikers.
"He had read The Intercept religiously since its founding in 2014 and admired its independence."
That tells us all we need to know about Mr. Albury.
3
@David H
Is being informed some kind of character flaw?
9
@Al M
The Intercept was the first to publish many of the NSA documents illegally leaked by Edward Snowden.
Mr. Albury "read it religiously."
Draw your own conclusions.
1
@David H
I conclude that he:
1. reads
2. doesn't only read "the party line" sources
3. is likely to think for himself
2
There is a saying, by Nietzsche, “whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not becomes a monster. And if you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you”.
After 9/11 those who were tasked with fighting monsters, and watching the abyss, BECAME monsters. And critically thinking Americans should be very worried.
25
Let me suggest that any of you whom would let an oath keep you silent to allow a wrong to stand as if it were right, are yourselves the corrupt ones.
14
"The Intercept" has a history of enticing government employees into committing crimes -- which, conveniently, do not put the journalists in jeopardy. See:https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-intercept-failed-to-shield-its-confidential-source-now-its-making-amends/2017/07/11/9d41284a-65d8-11e7-8eb5-cbccc2e7bfbf_story.html
5
@Peter B
it's called "journalism" which is generally disproved of by power -- which is why we have an embedded corporate mainstream media which prefers narratives to reporting and why Americans are the least informed of any country.
10
@Al M If you bothered to read the Wapo link, you'll see that The Intercept was criticized for, and apologized for, failing to protect its source.
Further, the damage to The Intercept's reputation may well have been the cause of the subsequent "resignation" of its co-founder, Glenn Greenwald.
He claimed it was because he rejected his editor's "censorship" of a piece critical of then-candidate Joe Biden, but the decidedly left-wing publication attributed it to Greenwald's ego: “Glenn demands the absolute right to determine what he will publish. He believes that anyone who disagrees with him is corrupt, and anyone who presumes to edit his words is a censor.”
Interestingly enough, Greenwald is now a Fox News contributor, fawned over by likes of Tucker Carlson, and speaking out against the "Russia Hoax" in concert with his unlikely bedfellow on the extreme right.
Deeply disturbing on many levels.
7
Robert Mueller, a real champ when it comes to chasing imaginary “sleeper cells” and racially profiling immigrants; investigating the most corrupt, criminal president in US history? Not so much. Too tired.
22
Dang, you never knew what side a G-man's bread is buttered on? Well, now you've got plenty of time to butter your bread. Somehow looking around at your graduation class didn't clue you in.
1
Excellent article, truth be told. It's too bad we don't have an organization to give him an award for truth telling. It is no surprise about the culture of the FBI and their attitudes towards Islam. It's no wonder that the worst threat we have in the United States is from white supremacist terrorists.
16
A complex story. Although I agree with the judge in his conviction, I hope this man can work out a good future for himself and his family.
An important side issue: Did Judge Thomas really defend the rights of Muslims? Or was he trying to deflect the FBI from investigating right-wing radicals with whom he has sympathy?
5
@David N.
My guess is that it was only the religious angle that interested Thomas.
Thank you for this beautiful insightful article. "Anyone could become a suspected terrorist given the right data collection" - One should put oneself into the shoes of the individuals defined as members of a religion that has been defined as islam and ask oneself how someone who has knowingly contributed to such initiative can live with themselves. Society couldn't exist if these kinds of definition, using any executive discretionary terms, were applied to everyone.
11
One day in the future maybe all these alphabet law enforcement agencies should have a "white people only" sit down and discuss their fears and insecurities (okay and with pay). I mean really there is such a thing as overdoing it. I remember seeing on television Tom Brokaw ask Ton Ridge former governor of Pa. who was just becoming the head of Homeland Security in essence after 9/11 what did Ridge see in the future of America for his children and grandchildren? The question in my mind clearly implied that Ridge and Brokaw saw the day that when whites would be a minority in number America.
7
Thank you for this detailed piece and for helping to expose the profound violence, racism, corruption, and paranoia that are endemic to US institutions of policing and surveillance--and that intensify exponentially with every expansion of their power. We need more of this as a counterpoint to all the bizarre lionizing of figures like Mueller and uncritical reporting of information from intelligence sources. Albury's choice to answer to the American public over the FBI was courageous and correct. We should all be deeply grateful to him and to the Intercept.
29
What comes to mind after reading this revelation is Hannah Arendt’s “banality of evil”. How easy it is to keep us from questioning what is done in the name of ‘protecting’ us while those who truly threaten Democracy are free to spread their poison.
43
One only need look at the several pictures of Mr. Albury’s different classes/ groups in the FBI to see just how deep racism runs in the organization. One person of color or two most. People who continue to rant that there is “equal opportunity” in this country have their heads in the sand.
68
Millions, probably billions, of our taxpayer dollars wasted on unjust pursuits of the innocent. In the meantime, those responsible for virtually all homegrown US terrorist attacks, ie white supremacists, are neither investigated nor apprehended.
It appears that the FBI has not changed a bit since Hoover.
89
When will something be done about government agencies that violate the rights of citizens they are supposed to protect? When will the Espionage Act,originally enacted to deter citizens acting as foreign agents and unconstitutionally violates the right to a fair trial, stop being used against American citizens whose only “crime” has been to point out wrongdoing by the government?
9/11 was 20 years ago!
It is past time to rein in the security apparatus of the government and undo laws like the Espionage Act and the so-called Patriot Act that, as agent Albury’s case indicates, protect the institutions of government, not the people of the United States as they are purported to do.
13
Ms. Reitman writes an outstanding piece of journalism about an outstanding citizen. Thanks to her and her subject, Mr. Albury, for doing us all great service.
28
Kids watch movies or tv shows where law enforcement catches the bad guys, suggesting grow up and be a cop or a cowboy ranger. But our justice system prohibits lawless law enforcement, such as surveillance w/o a warrant specifying a crime, and protecting the rights of the accused.
What are our FBI agents taught in their training? American Justice under law or to treat "others" as criminals? Tell us the source material used in their training, that we may know they don't have a simplistic view of law enforcement based on individual or group prejudices. There should be resistance to long term surveillance programs based on political prejudices, which are subject to change with new administrations.
The technology for surveillance is out there. What we are facing internationally is defending an open society as opposed to being subjected to the intimidation of a total surveillance society, a dictatorship, such as China.
Described here is a tracking system for people from Muslim countries. We have long had a tracking system in many communities for POC. If continuing this under the Trump administration wasn't obvious, you weren't paying attention. Having lost an election, their new push is to disenfranchise Black and other POC voters.
16
@Loveman@
May I suggest an explicit declaration that the FBI will act as if we all have the right to privacy regardless of whether or not some communist director of the agency thinks we do not have that right.
BTW the fourth amendment is very clear, we do have the right to privacy. And to the extent that people who work for us imagine we don't and act on that in secret. we don't have it or the nation we may think we do.
3
The agencies need some sort of political board to discuss issues like these and determine what can be done to work around these issues instead of having any of their employees defect when they pour so much time and resources into their growth.
Even a single report to the public about countermeasures can be disastrous to the safety of many and a massive advantage to those who are willing to defile them and their families.
3
How does one read a story like this and not come away with the realization that "the land of the free" is just another police state?
446
@Vin
"The New Deal" wasn't just a few regulations. It was the new deal under which the people actually got what they needed and sometimes what they wanted from their government.
The GQP has been working diligently at taking us back to "The Old Deal" ever since FDR got the The New Deal going. IDK that FDR ever imagined the FBI would be used as they have been or that any regular Americans would willingly do these things.
25
@Vin
One can read a "story like this" and not conclude that the US is a police state by being rational, looking at facts, considering the sources of this article (Mr. Albury, the unquestioning author, or the NYTimes), and looking at what a police state really is.
The fact that you can write what you wrote is pretty decent evidence that we don't live in a police state.
We get the same hyperventilation and hyperbole by people reading about mask mandates on Fox News. They also think we live in a police state because they're asked to wear masks in certain settings.
Get some perspective.
18
Yes, but it need not be so. For 30 years, 1970-2000, the FBI was constrained to law enforcement. It had been exposed by the Church Committee, and cut down to size. Prior to that, it had kept files on the likes of Martin Luther King and Louis Armstrong.
Then congress passed the Patriot Act, and reauthorized it. No investigative power was too great, no data collection too much. That is the country we live in now, again, but worse.
Just try to find one candidate express any concern that Americans’ true rights and liberty be protected. Not from the invented "gestapo" working to protect public health and extinguish the plague, but from the numbing mindless dragnet sweeping over us all, for no more reason than that they can.
19
Very well written story about the prosecution of this very brave FBI agent. The judge implied that there were other avenues for Terry to file and pursue his complaint, perhaps referring to the whistle blower protection. Is that 'protection' so deficient that Terry ended saying that he was not a whistle blower. This is a tight knot in this narrative that asks for further information since it is a fault that must be corrected.
23
There will always be people who love taking advantage of others in secret under the umbrella of some government agency or other, just as there will always be bugs crawling around under rocks.
6
@phil morse
The very reason Cowardice or FEAR by another name is so dangerous.
3
Yes, but "those people" today include virtually every member of congress. What the FBI is doing is no secret to them; they specifically legalized it in the Patriot Act. The question is, who will vote for its repeal?
5
I always find it interesting that people get so upset at a whistleblower revealing egregious abuses, this hand-wave those abuses away.
15
Public service requires personal sacrifice. Part of that personal sacrifice is adhering to your oath to not disclose classified information. He betrayed the trust imposed in him by the FBI and chose to work outside the law and chain of command.
Did he think that the thousands of lives lost on the ground in the “war on terror” while serving before they were killed actually believed that nation building was worth it?
He was selfish and foolish and he paid a small price for his crime. He chose self over state and was not motivated by the common good of the United States.
16
@Yancy Burns
I struggle to see how this was “selfish”. This comment begs the question why what he did was against the interest of the “state.” Who is the state here? The FBI?
The question is whether he was misguided. I would be interested to know what better options he had, as the judge implied.
6
@Yancy Burns
He did the right thing. We probably wouldn’t know what he revealed about institutionalized FBI abuses if he hadn’t violated the law.
5
Explain to me this; why is an FBI handbook classified information? Who exactly is harmed by knowing what agents are taught and how they’re trained?
Nothing about how the government — including the FBI — operates should be secret. Making it public should not be a crime. The very fact that revealing the workings of a democratically elected government to the governed is prosecuted as "espionage" is positively Orwellian.
10
We saw this very activity up here in Albany about 15 or so years ago, when the FBI used an informant to entrap an Imam and a pizza shop owner in a scheme to lend money for imaginary weapons. Many of us believe very strongly that they were indeed entrapped and convinced to do something that they never would have done on their own. They were turned into criminals by law enforcement hell- bent on finding crimes where there were none. I am ashamed that this was done in my name.
263
When agencies are left to police themselves, you wonder, what other options could possibly exist in order to have even a sliver of chance at bringing about justice, other than leaking documents to the press?
When you look at the patterns of abuses (many of which appear to be criminal) taking place over the span of decades, I highly doubt there is a particular "higher up" or "oversight committee" within the FBI to whom one could confide, in order to put an end to such abuses.
Rather, these abuses are part of a culture of indoctrination, and the only way to possibly change that culture is to bring awareness to those the FBI supposedly exists to protect--the community at large.
Unfortunately, Terry Albury was likely left with no other choice, in order to alleviate his conscience and possibly become a true agent of change, and to protect America, albeit in a different way than he'd originally set out to.
32
@ML Fair enough. These "oversight agencies" likely actively endorse (and even sponsor) these types of abuses under various initiatives.
So still, there would actually be no one likely to take this man seriously had voiced his concerns internally. And had he not taken photographs, he would not have evidence either, and would have been merely dismissed.
6
That’s true. What’s discussed in this article, though, cannot be corrected by an IG. Inspectors General protect against abuse of power and contravention of rules. Arbury revealed no such thing; everything he described is bureau policy, totally up front and legal.
That is the problem.
9
@ML
Yes, very effective. This is why the CIA tortured people and got away with it. It is why they were able to spy on Congress when it investigated their torture practices and got away with that too.
Our system is very effective in ensuring that massive wrongdoing by the government will go unpunished.
2
My cynicism is increasing. Why on earth did we not see this article while Trump was making those deal with the Taliban? What is the planned intention of putting out this indictment of the FBI during the turmoil of regime change in Afghanistan? Cursory reading by people whose minds are already set with see more evidence of Biden's failure. A closer reading reveals the deeply ignorant and arrogant approach by our government toward other cultures. A broader and more thoughtful re-examination suggests that the true threat to democracy is religious fundamentalism of any stripe - Christian fundamentalists yearning for the rapture and utterly unwilling to change their behaviors ahead of time re climate change or COVID have much more in common with Islamic Fundamentalists yearning for jihad and martyrdom than people of any belief system who are interested in understanding how this world works, and trying to be better human beings in this life.
27
Until you have been pulled out of a line at the airport, shoved through a side door, interrogated for no apparent reason, this is just a reaffirmation of the corruption of power. Thank you Albury, and Reitman.
497
@Bertha In 2005 on a return trip from Istanbul to JFK, my husband and I got to the airport earlier than the rest of our tour group. We presented our passports and our return tickets and were told to take a seat. As we waited, we saw other people passing through the line, many of whom were our fellow travelers. I am not a very patient person, and I began to get extremely nervous that we were going to miss our flight. I walked up to the desk at one point and asked what the problem was. I was told to continue to wait. Eventually, we were told we could board the plane. After we were in the air, a few of our fellow travelers asked what the problem was, including a stranger on board whom I did not know which made me wonder why he cared. I do not know to this day what the problem was, except perhaps that the guy in charge was just flexing his muscles, and we were the unlucky first ones in line. It was a nerve-wracking experience and one I wouldn't wish on anyone.
35
Since you never found anything out, it could have been anything. Maybe your name was the same or similar to someone being tracked, maybe some other coincidence, maybe, actually, nothing at all except the need to meet a quota, like a meter maid. If another couple had gotten to the gate first, maybe they would have been made to wait.
But it makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
9
I was pulled aside at JFK long before 9/11 - because my itinerary had taken me from Thailand, Afghanistan, Turkey, Italy and Denmark. They didn’t have drug-sniffing dogs then; never to me why. I was ‘released’ in 10 minutes, to catch my connecting flight - to San Francisco.
3
Why am I still shocked? After reading this, did anyone else have a very strong urge to cleanse their social media and internet accounts? It’s easy to forget what the Patriot Act allows The US Government to do in the name of “security”. I will be flying soon, and I will not be surprised if the dreaded “SSSS” shows up on my boarding pass AGAIN because of my opinions on this and that.
22
@Emily
Edward Snowden warned us but heroic truth-tellers like him and others are criminalized by a criminal system.
41
Supporting the selective enforcement of rules and looking away when compromising values is convenient; I wouldn’t expect anything less from fellow commenters.
14
@John I will never, ever understand the fetishization of “rules” some people have. Rules have as often been bad as good in our history, they have no independent moral weight nor reason to be followed for their own sake.
1
It is a matter of honor:
You pledge to protect certain information. You keep that pledge.
14
“Just following orders”
11
I’m not sure which is worse - the details of a budding police state justified by “The War on Terror” - or the commenters passing judgement on Mr. Arbury for revealing the clearly unconstitutional operating behavior of the FBI.
Not sure what surveillance list, if any, I’ll get put on for this comment, but think hard about the fact that it’s even a possibility…
522
@Robby Read Spencer Ackerman's "Reign Of Terror. How the 9/11 era destabilized America and produced Trump", Viking, Augsut 2021 - required reading for anyone who wants to know how we got to this surveillance state.
On an additional note (but this requires discussion elsewhere and not in this thread): it is my firm conviction that the American fascist tendencies which can be traced back to the very origins of the country -in that it is not alone- have received the golden opportunity during the past two decades to come to the surface thriving.
The US and its democracy are in grave peril not so much from the side of external terrorism, but from the authoritarian terrorism within.
Which brings us back to the tale of Mr. Albury, and the blindness toward the grave threat he exposes of still all too many, including plenty of Main Stream Media (among which is this paper of record, which could not cheer the War on Terror enough 20 years ago).
The wings of the bellicose American eagle are ripe for a clipping. Its own survival depends on it.
23
@Robby: Yes, writing the comment, and how about this: reading the comment and recommending it. The surveillance state is always tracking. Not quite at "thought [police" yet, but...
4
Those who remember COINTELPRO, in which FBI agents infiltrated left-wing protest groups and in some cases, encouraged them to turn violent in an attempt to rack up charges against them, should understand why Mr. Albury was concerned.
It is problematic for FBI agents to infiltrate groups and document data about people who have committed no other crime than being Muslim, or learning Arabic. Groups that criticize U.S. foreign policy (which has not been perfect -- just look at Afghanistan) are not "the enemy."
Interestingly, if the FBI were more communicative internally, and had a clear explanation to their own agents of what they were doing with this data, and whether they were keeping tabs on people who had done nothing wrong, Albury would have been less concerned. The "veil of secrecy" within the agency is an important part of the story. How can an FBI agent know that people's rights are protected when the agency doesn't tell its own agents what it does with the information they collect?
Someone should be watching the watchers, and I appreciate Albury's commitment to that, imperfect though some of his choices may have been.
75
There's only a few "watchers." Everything important gets passed up the chain...
This choking feeling everyone's drowning under? The toll of labor to build Panopticon at a breakneck pace.
1
Mr. Aubery was very brave and doing his country a service just by reminding us all of the cost of the misguided war on terror. How has profiling Muslims and people of color helped keep us safe when the terror within is coming from white right wingers? How is all that wasteful government spending keeping us safe from the terror within when all a terrorist needs is a match to light a forest fire? How does any of that protect us from the rampant destruction brought by American fossil fuels?
It doesn’t.
The problems we face are so big and our way of governing is so broken and bloated I don’t know how we keep functioning.
41
I am sadly disappointed in many of the comments so far. The assumption that governmental secrecy is a more powerful right than the basic rights laid down in the constitution is a produce of fear. I saw the twin towers burning on 9/11 from my kitchen window. I also saw the kindness and unity New Yorkers showed in it's aftermath. Where is that kindness and unity now? Once we allow fear to dominate our choices we become victims of the terrorist mentality that we were fighting to begin with. Fear is what dominates the minds of the Taliban, fear of free speech and anyone who lives outside of their xenophobic world view. I would hate to think the same could be said of us.
401
@L. A. Brooke I actually saw the plane go into the tower from my kitchen window and had several friends in the buildings! So, I understand the fear that is rampant in so much of the public but more than a little concerned that in the next election we will look like a democracy but the gerrymandering and voter suppression now being legally established in Republican led states will end any actual democracy here. It will be mock democracy with Republican legislators speaking as if with one mind and that one will be the one with the greatest fear of losing power and control and the one with the greatest anger and resentment towards anyone who might not agree with them. This case is just a mini-example of life under authoritarians. Whistle blowers do not get treated well even when the law says otherwise.
27
It never really was a democracy, only a veneer over business as usual.
15
@L. A. Brooke, I hate that feeling, too, but I fear that it is all to real. (Tried to endure any of Fox, OAN, or their print equivalents lately? To them, it’s an already established crime to be a Democrat, and even a “moderate Republican” - if there are any of those left.)
4
Isn't idealism what founded this country by rejecting the manipulative hierarchical system of kingdoms? History shows that hierarchy has value in leading many organizations, but can become insidious and odious when the culture becomes over zealous. Thank you Terry Albury for what I would consider your patriotic duty to expose our Islamic paranoia, which parallels our foreign decades-long war. Hopefully, like our foreign battlefield, this domestic war, will also wind down.
17
Interesting story which comes across as a cautionary tale for allowing “others” into the ranks. I offer no judgement of this man or the society which shaped his views - but which also makes the rules.
While reading it my mind kept going to Ollie North and the Iran Contras and a nagging question of whose more likely to be accepted Into the critical fold: a white supremist, a black supremist or one who does what the dominant force demands of you - right or wrong.
I am mindful that critical race theory has no place in this story
Thank you Mr. Albury. This country needs more brave, intelligent and honorable people like you.
259
This is how fascism is fought. There are generations that will thank Mr Albury. I look at the comments and reflect that some of these same people would be happily cheer on the destruction of Martin Luther King, Paul Robeson, and other citizens we will never know whom the FBI worked to destroy.
596
FBI always has a political agenda sometimes a Democrat one at other times a Republican one, unfortunately much of the public, press, and judiciary are gullible enough to trust whatever they say.
10
Criminal Law 101: your motive may have been to feed your family, but your intent was to steal food. Guilty as charged.
4
@Angus Until you are the one targeted because of where you go to church.
21
@Angus
Intent may be a mitigating circumstance. It affects the penalty, but not guilt.
In America today no one needs to steal food to feed his family. Food stamp benefits, already more than sufficient to provide a healthy diet of rice, beans and vegetables, have recently been increased.
@Angus -
Upon reading the whole article closely, Mr. Albury was clear that he broke the rules and accepted his punishment. Therefore, what is your issue? That he outed a bunch of law enforcement for violating the basic rights of American citizens? That is more like the talk coming out of Putin supporters than someone like Abraham Lincoln or Ben Franklin.
If we adopt Taliban like practices that violate our history, we are no better than the Taliban themselves, except we do not summarily execute people. Everyone of those people whose rights were violated by Agent Albury and other F.B.I. agents were subjected to very UnAmerican treatment. If they had turned against the U.S., it would be because we drove them to it.
It should never be “My Country, right or wrong”. But, rather, it should be “My Country, when right. And work hard to correct it, when it is wrong”. Otherwise, every single dictator in history was in the right to go after people who they didn’t like. We can praise America for ending race-based slavery, but that does not erase the fact that it was perfectly legal, and in many places, respected for over three quarters of a century after our founding as a country.
168
What I find so interesting was what Judge Wright told Albury,
“You had other options,” Wright told Albury after sentencing him to 48 months in prison…chiding him for squandering his potential with what she termed a “misguided understanding of honor.” She also scolded him for bringing up race at all. “I’m not blind to the racism that exists in our society,” Wright said. “But those conditions, they didn’t require you to commit a crime, and in my view they are not a valid excuse for doing so.”
In one climatic sense, you have two different persons of color that work as public servants with similar goals of enforcing the law and carrying out justice yet one finds himself on the other side of the law. Judge Wright scolding and chiding him about his “misguided understanding of honor” and “bringing up race” did not move her beyond what the law states nor did it validate any sense of moral justice for Albury’s own actions to expose and denigrate the agency that he worked for. Ironically, it reminded me of the moment when he found himself in a eerily similar position having to interrogate the elderly Somalian woman at the airport as she pleaded with him, “What are you doing? Help me!” To which Albury responds, “I wish I could, lady, he thought, but I’m on the other team.”
Brilliant article that highlights so many facets and layers within society, religion, government, systems, laws, agencies, race, and our own existential relationship with the world as a whole.
167
Brilliant observation drawing the parallel between the judge and the traveler...poetic irony
6
@John
At least Mr Albury recognized the unjust treatment of the elderly Somali woman.
Judge Wright - supposed defender of the Constitution - indicated no such recognition.
Seems more to me the judge was possibly seeing Mr Albury's actions as "reflecting poorly on Black people," in the context of a rich white dominant class, and by extension, on her place in that context.
I may be wrong...
5
@MCD It's possible but I think the lawyer was trying an attempt that backfired. I wonder if the lawyer who defended him was white or black, now that would be interesting to know...
3
Manipulated by a reporter, I very secretly and illegally leaked information to the press. When I got caught, I claimed to be a hero. The press loved it.
4
Good. He belongs in prison. This man is no hero.
6
@faceless nameless
I trust you feel the same way about The Donald...
A very interesting story; even more so with his uncle being a Black Panther. I am convinced the FBI as an entity is corrupt to its very core and uses unconstitutional methods to entrap people that our government does not like or could be a threat to the ruling class. COINTELPro is just one well documented program that effectively ended the Civil Rights movement. Supposedly that project ended in 1971, I have doubts that it ever ended.
172
@Sierra Morgan An interesting comment coming from a person who lives in Texas where personal freedom to not mask or get vaccinated is practically justification for sainthood, but where laws now allow anyone to bring a case against their neighbor for even possibly thinking about getting an abortion.
This kind of logic that sanctifies hyper-individualism on the one hand and criminalizes individual health care decisions on the other is both crazy making and anti-democratic. Our conservative SC will no doubt come up with some kind of pretzel “reasoning” that allows it to stand.
9
@B. Rothman, maybe Sierra Morgan doesn't vote for the representatives of the Texas ruling class and his wishes aren't represented.
11
The FIRST victim in ANY war is ALWAYS the truth.
To make people accept war, lies are the most common means. Lies, e.g., about religion during the crusades, and now it's lies about democracy. If you believe that sort of thing then you also believe in Santa Claus. And governments prefer to keep a certain number of people uninformed and also uneducated so they do not see through that ruse, but simply believe the lies.
Just remember the incubator lie about Kuwait (Nayirah testimony) or the lie about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (Curveball) or the staged Tonkin incident in Vietnam ... or the lie about the attacking Polish in Germany ...
And the US American "Institute of Propaganda Analysis" even dissolved in 1942, because they did not want to uncover the US American war propaganda lies as they were obliged to do.
That has never been different and even in our information society of nowadays there's still enough people who fall for the lies. - Strange enough, because retrieving information has never been easier than it is today. But that is obviously too much of an effort for too many people.
30
Remarkable writing skills.....the FBI was ready for this story. "Mr. Albury needed to understand our racist institutions will preserve their purpose and power."
8
Can’t get past the headline without imagining a scenario where most Republicans face themselves in the mirror.
7
Idealism doesn't sit well when nationalism is easier for the mob. The only thing that may unfortunately change that mentality is Climate calamity at our doorsteps. It won't matter much which flag you wave, which form of tribalism you believe in or how smug you are about "your people" being better than those others - against nature's indifference. Let's see what the geniuses have planned to counter that threat.
16
Terry Albury is no hero.
He said “As a public servant, my oath is to serve the interest of society, not the F.B.I.” but his oath is to serve neither "society" (which is an ill-defined term) nor the FBI but the Constitution and the laws of the United States. The fact that he forgets the truth of his oath informs his illegal acts.
There are legal outlets for addressing concerns within the FBI, the Justice Department, and the broader US federal government. There are multiple levels of oversight from inspectors general to directly contacting members of Congress.
Terry Albury attempted none of these and instead chose a path he knew was illegal.
The article, however sympathetic and unquestioning of his claims it is, let's the cat out of the bag with this paragraph - "Albury had no real plan for his disclosures. “It was sort of like, you’re so outraged and upset, and you have all this indignation, you just want to let it out, you want to speak, you want to give it a voice,” he says. “And now you have an opportunity. After remaining silent for so long, I started speaking.”"
It's human to have outrage and to be upset. Contrast the actions of Terry Albury to those of LTC Alexander Vindman, who legally shared his concerns over Trump's call to the Ukrainian president. The conduct of one is to be venerated and emulated, the other is Terry Albury.
14
Tell me race would not have a role in the false similitude of Vindman and Aubry. Back against the wall and he did the right thing. Hero.
11
@ML
This is nonsensical. US government officials have been guilty of actions that should have resulted in very long prison sentences, and what happens to them is nothing at all. Or rather, often they get promoted. Gina Haspel ran a torture site and destroyed evidence— she is now the head of the CIA. The CIA spied on Congress when they investigated CIA torture and again, nobody was punished.
5
For his correct behavior, Vindman got fired... and so did his twin brother.
2
Glad to see this expose and good for Albury. So many lives have been destroyed by the FBI in its history -- even before the "war on terror" and so many innocents set up since. Another good and recent example exposed here --
https://theintercept.com/2021/09/01/fbi-spy-plane-alazhari-surveillance/
22
Terry Albury is another great American hero journalist. Along with Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange, Daniel Ellsberg and Edward Snowden. Thank you Mr Albury for your service.
20
@Richard Katz DO.
Chelsea Manning copied and pasted hundreds of thousands of classified documents and released them without concern for their content or impact. That's not heroic or noble. The impact was widespread and negative for our Department of State.
Edward Snowden stole terabytes of data and gave it to our enemies. He severely weakened our ability to protect ourselves and our allies. People died because of his actions. That's not heroic or noble.
Please do some research.
3
@ML
What people died from Snowden exposing government secrets? I've studied the data and I'm unable to name any who died due to Snowden's actions.
2
@Richard Katz DO. Hey, your list fails to include Benedict Arnold,Tokyo Rose, all the American spies for the KGB including the atombomb spies of the fifties,etc--the never ending plethora of self-obcessed people who betray with as much subterfuge as they can get and then claim idealism as their motivation when caught. America just does not k now how to punish.
My favorite part of this is the paragraph near the end full of links to articles from The Intercept, concluding with this statement: "The stories made barely a ripple in a news cycle that was then taken up with the Trump administration’s so-called Muslim ban and the F.B.I.’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election."
That's the Times being called out in its own pages.
295
Pulitzer Prize worthy journalism at its finest.
19
Sibel Edmonds is still under a Federal gag order.
4
His actions were motivated by hate and peevishness. He got what he deserved. Love how the writer portrays him as an innocent David vs. big bad Goliath.
1
@Ian O’Malley
"His actions were motivated by hate and peevishness."
Yes, his actions were motivated by THE hate and peevishness that exists in the FBI.
2
With the American Stasi unchecked, it's no wonder we have 2m more people in prison than we should.
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Oh just you wait, I'm probably next ;)
They won't like what happens after that though. 🤷♂️
He should be in jail.
3
@James
Maybe we are all in jail and don't realize it until it's too late.
2
@Al M
Is that a rationale for breaking the law?
@James
J Edgar Hoover constantly broke the law and he never went to jail, let alone ever charged with a crime. What was his rationale? To harass and arrest anyone he didn't agree with, such as MLK?
This is what an American hero looks like . If you don’t think we live in a police state you are naive or a fool
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@robert conger I think "police state" is an aphorism more rigorously applied to a vehicle which intends to suppress thought rather than people.....
there is no intent to suppress thought than direct it away from the truth of a situation which is that the intervention in other countries needed to be given merit....
We all signed an acknowledgement of the seriousness of our access to classified information and the consequences of violating the trust placed in us by the people. Violate that trust, pay the price.
No sympathy at all.
After 50 years in the business, I am convinced there are avenues within the system to pursue misgivings. If you are on the inside, you know this. If you are on the outside, I suppose it is somewhat natural to feel sympathy for the "poor whistleblower." Natural, but uninformed and wrong.
2
So decades of illegal FBI behavior could be stopped if he talked to the right manager? Give me a break. The FBI knows what it’s doing, doesn’t care, and won’t stop until forced to.
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@RichieCCC
It’s not surprising that the government can get away with torture and civil rights violations when people in the system can convince themselves there is accountability.
4
Sorry, but in my opinion there is NO excuse for betraying your oath to preserve the nation's secrets. I worked for the IC for more than 40 years and never had so much as a security violation; I had hundreds of colleagues who were similarly meticulous about the trust that was placed in us.
And yes, we say all manner of information that raised questions. If we had any qualms, there were channels available to us. And we used them.
If you disagree with what you perceive your employer is doing, you resign. You do NOT break the law. End of discussion.
7
@David H
What if your employer is breaking the law?
14
Unjust laws made by corrupt politicians to protect the interests of the war profiteers exist to be broken.
14
@Fedup
David H answered that question in the second and third paragraphs of his post.
4
The world is a messy complicated place. These agencies exist to protect a way of life that has provided the vast majority of us the comfort of walking about freely. It is disingenuous to even pass judgement on those who have the unenviable task of doing those jobs whose hands get dirty so ours don't have too. And then we clutch our pearls in self righteous indignation as we down a beer in front of the TV safely in our living rooms. It's no different then sending the military off to a foreign country to fight a war based on a lie in the belief we could democratize their society only to benefit from the employment those defense agencies garnered through government contracts and then complain that the war was wrong. That war paid your mortgage, put your kids through college, we are all complicit.
6
We are none free unless we are all free. The same laws trained on Muslims could as easily be trained on communists or Christians, or anyone and everyone. That’s not only logical, it’s also recent history, see J. Edgar Hoover.
Investigation based on paranoia and prejudice serve no one. They waste time and resources, and distract from bona fide criminal (or terrorist) activity. Not for nothing, they also violate Americans’ constitutional rights.
4
It would be nice if the article summarized at the beginning and then expanded the scope. I read the first half and ran out of time. Not every investigative article needs to be read like a novel.
6
An American hero, living up to the best and noblest ideals of the nation.
11
We can debate whether what Albury did was right or wrong, but the sad part is that bureaucracies see crises as an opportunity to (a) operate without controls and (b) increase their funding.
And when you have (b), you have pressure to justify it. In the FBI's case, that pressure resulted in more investigation -- but not more arrests and convictions. IOW, their "success" was being measured using the wrong yardstick.
For those who write the whole thing off as "fighting terrorism is a dirty business," remember the warning "Then they came for me, there was no one left to speak out."
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The FBI has more excuses than successes these days. In Dayton Ohio, they claimed to be uncovering a “Culture of Corruption” in local government- and indicted 6 Black people- and one white one. There big catch- a bank president/ city commissioner who accepted an addition to his patio- as payment for steering contracts- did 3 months of the 1 year sentence. Total dollars involved- less than 250K. Yet- at a suburban college- $130M went missing, an H1B visa scandal which generated a $1M fine- and at least half the university trustees- actually involved in using foreign students illegally- and not a single indictment.
It gets worse- the bank president/city commissioner became an FBI informant- and wore a wire for over a year before he was re-elected- and then forced to step down, causing the citizens to pay for a special election.
He wasn’t indicted until his youngest son finished high school. And, now, it turns out that the FBI may have turned another politician into an informant- and is allowing her to run for Governor. The FBI is hiding behind grand jury rules to not release her on tapes that were presented to the grand jury as first steps to indicting her.
The courts are slow to react to FOIA appeals. What the FBI and the DOJ do seems to be whatever they want- without oversight. When I exposed a school board member as a recipient of $250K from the Azerbaijani Laundromat- and that he didn’t live in the district- no one cared. Laws are arbitrary when in the hands of the feds.
19
Albury did the right thing for the most part and I fully understand his actions. The FBI was definitely in the wrong and deserves to be slapped hard for these rights violations. All these people making excuses for the FBI need to apply the same rules for Albury to them: they are not entitled to break the law or skirt around it or engage in "messy" practices. The ends don't justify the means. That applies to Albury and he paid his debt to society for the leaks. What has the FBI done? Hopefully the SCOTUS case leads to change.
It's funny, I just wrote in another post in response to Bouie's OpEd that everyone tolerates racism. This is how it occurs.
I am grateful the world has people like Albury who saw the light in the end. The FBI who engage in unconstitutional practices, not so much.
28
Seems many highly rated comments are by the apologists of the three letter agencies...word salads on "changing the system from within", "finding a different career", "think of the country" and so on.
These apologists forget the trouble Terry went through to even close the cases which had no merit.
The apologists of three letter agencies will get better employment prospects in Chinese or Russian troll farms, where blind allegiance to whoever who's in power and preserving the system seems to be the only barometer.
Terry Albury thought of the country, believed in the constitutional principles of US and ended in prison. When Supreme Court ruled in a majority opinion individual agents in three letter agencies can be sued by folks makes his sacrifice more remarkable.
237
This is a hero. In case you haven’t noticed the terrorists won. Our society has become more authoritarian and repressive in every way. We have not changed the terrorists regimes at all. Case In point we were driven from Afghanistan The President made the right call but ultimately the Taliban succeeded like them or not
71
Some will read this piece about Albury and say..."Yes, it isn't perfect, but bad guys are caught," not realizing that the very techniques employed make it less not more likely. I cannot disparage the important role of law enforcement in a cruel and savage world. But I can still question its methods- and where they lead. Ultimately this is part of an ever growing and extremely serious threat to democracy, wrapped around the cloak of racism and fear.
12
Prior to 9/11, I had a fairly high opinion of the FBI. After a family friends house was raided by an FBI team at 4 am, at gunpoint, and all there computers taken, in from of their young children, (no charges ever filed), and another acquaintance was arrested on very questionable charges, mainly because he was Muslim, I seriously question the FBI and the American justice system. There is considerable racism and Islamophobia in law enforcement, and jury’s often are much less understanding if the accused is brown skinned or Muslim. This article emphasizes these tendencies, and I certainly understand why black people mistrust the criminal justice system, and look for reform.
36
Seems clear that FBI agents are part of a culture not beyond engaging in illegal, unpatriotic or extremely questionable behavior in the name of what they feel is the right thing or to save our country in the way they think it needs to be saved. Hmm…I wish others here could see this is a rogue agency that likely completely staged the Russia hoax. But no one wants to admit the obvious truth.
2
@Shawn
Hmm...I was with you all the way up until "this is a rogue agency that likely completely staged the Russia hoax."
2
The terrorists use leaked information to recruit and hurt us all. In a way, it might end up making everything even worse in the effort to keep us safe. How to break the cycle? If leaks don’t change the problem, and make it worse, are they helpful in any way? We started waterboarding/torturing under Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld. They are the ones responsible. Who we elect matters. Holding elected officials to account, so they have skin in the game, matters. I think they should have been forced to stand trial for war crimes at The Hague, International Criminal Court.
8
Do terrorists in fact use leaked information to recruit? I doubt it. They certainly don’t need to.
Their recruitment poster is on the front pages every day, every time we invade or drop a bomb or assassinate — sorry, "take out" — a supposed bad guy and, gee, 10 kids besides. Our clunky militarism invites revenge, and there’s a lot more of them than there is of us.
4
Individuals deciding they can release our private information,
does not lead to a better nation…
it leads to anarchy.
3
Unfortunately our federal law enforcement agencies are as corrupt and self-serving now as when they were founded. Regrettable, really.
3
Jane, Terri Reed, MCS, Purple Spain, do you recall when Hoover used his agents to undermine much of the civil rights movement, its many battles?
How about when government agents were used by McCarthy to brutalize so many?
How about the police and sheriffs who still grab minorities off the street for being a minority?
I'll take an agent who believes that the end does not justify the means, and acts on that commitment.
31
Churchill said it best, “ The United States will always do the right thing, after it has tried everything else.”
14
@Colin Hulse
I have hope we will...eventually.
Might be a really really long time tho'
1
This guy is a true American hero. Our war on terror has created a network of terror within our midst. Agent Albury did what any brave American should have done. He fought for the rights of all of us.
397
I befriended a former FBI agent in law school. He became disillusioned after years working narcotics. He resigned, became a lawyer, and is now making a lot of money as a defense attorney. My point is that this guy had options. Clearly, he was no longer cut out for the job and should have resigned or requested a transfer to do something else within the agency. Idealists don’t make good agents.
15
@David
David, Very well said. Very easy to imagine anyone getting disillusioned and unhappy in this line of work. This guy had options, and he chose a really bad one. He did things he knew it'd be easy to catch him doing, and very easy to successfully prosecute him for. He would have done far more good if he complained inside the system---sure that would have been bad for his career, but the path he chose put him in prison---bad for him and his children. Hard not to see that as selfish.
5
@David
"Clearly, he was no longer cut out for the job and should have resigned or requested a transfer to do something else within the agency."
Wow! That's a pretty cynical conclusion that you come to: definitely heartless and blind to those in history who had the courage to follow their conscience.
1
@David Get off your oh-so-serious high horse. Everything the FBI does that is not capturing child abusers on the dark web is imbricated with everything wrong in our society, and anything that exposes their abuses and malfeasance is an unmitigated good that will be judged well in the light of history.
I have lived in Berkeley, CA most of my life. Per capita, Berkeley is probably the most progressive city in the U.S. I’m glad to hear that Mr. Aubury “came back home.” I want to thank him for doing what he did in exposing F.B.I. practices, based in racism and bias, which harmed people.
Mr. Aubury got into law enforcement to protect us. He also got out of large enforcement to protect us. He recognized that protecting our individual liberties from rogue law enforcement was equally important to protecting us from actual criminal enterprises and threats.
I think it is true that one the fundamental problems of a democratic state is balancing personal liberty with the welfare of the community. To create and keep that balance, democratic states have rules which, in theory, protect individual liberty/rights from being overwhelmed by wrongful assertions of state interest. Law enforcement is supposed to scrupulously follow those rules so they don’t trample on individual rights. Exposing the FBI’s wrongdoing was a very brave and selfless act, and really the only way to possibly stop that agency’s wrongful conduct. At substantial risk to himself and his family, Mr. Aubury acted as a true patriot and defender of democracy.
I hope what Mr. Aubury does next in his life is rewarding, interesting, and as equally beneficial to his community. Maybe he should consider becoming a lawyer and working for the ACLU.
658
@HipOath,
I wish you would put aside your politics. Idealists make poor law enforcement officers, and they also don’t belong in many other occupations. Mr. Aubrey had many choices and he picked the wrong one: he knew that leaking classified data and law enforcement sensitive data is a crime, Mr. Aubrey got what he deserved, maybe too lenient of a sentence. As a retired FED, I saw some things I did not “like” or agree with. If I had first hand knowledge of internal crimes or serious malfeasance, I would have used one of the permissible processes to expose it. Mr. Aubrey is a traitor, don’t feel sorry for him.
8
@HipOath
I have such mixed feelings about this entire situation. I agree and yet disagree on so many issues.
What I do know in my heart is that Terry Albury was willing to stand up and stand behind the decisions he made, realizing that he could go to prison for it.
I don't know many people who believe in their convictions to the point and degree this man did.
I respect and admire his convictions. He did not talk the talk but indeed walked the walk.
I don't know if I could or would have made similar choices as Mr. Albury had I been in his position, but he was willing to pay a price for his convictions.
37
@Winston Smith “Permissible processes” exist to bury the abuses. They get exposed eventually but only after enough time has passed to do anything about it. Whistleblowers are an important part of many historical abuses ending promptly.
69
Agree this is a fascinating piece, both in story and writing skill about an idealistic federal government employee. I was once a federal government low-level employee in a law enforcement agency. Had Albury confided in me about his moral dilemma, his family, his choices available, I'd advise him to find another career and resign from the FBI. Choosing careers in life can make or break someone . . .
68
@Terri Reed The problem with your solution is that it may work for the individual but it fosters undue secrecy and, in this case, unlawful actions against innocent individuals by the government. Increase the number of such unlawful, illegal surveillances and voilà you have created an authoritarian police state and don’t even know it!
11
Well, what is this piece really about?
Is it about an individual who finds himself in an untenable position and takes an action that is morally right, or perhaps legally wrong, or perhaps just foolish?
Or is the individual and his personal struggles just the Skelton key to unlock a tale of abuses in the secretive system and policies gone awry?
6
Fascinating piece, both in story and writing skill. Idealism is fostered in already fertile young minds eager to have an impact. This holds true for all intentions, good or bad. It's become more common for a fragile generation who in order to protect them has been fed a steady diet of good and bad in simplistic childlike terms. The complex nuances of the adult world is a shock to them and in a panic they opt for the safety of an idealism of the masses, one that doesn't have to deal with the grim and complicated realities of life. For the people who cheer on Mr. Albury, I'd say had our spy agencies were replete with men like him during WWII, well, many many more people would've died and we'd probably be speaking German. I don't see a man of principals and high morals. I see a man unwilling to face a complex world filled with double sided injustices and fair assumption. The FBI should be wary of potential recruits who have the zeal of "making the world a better place". The FBI is not UNICEF, nor should it be. The goal should be making sure very bad things do not happen and at times it involves compromising one's personal belief in what's fair, within reasonable circumstances. Welcome to the adult world, it's not always pleasant and one can at times can feel isolated and uncertain.
67
There are so many complex layers to this story. Terry Albury is an equally complex man. Treating idealism as the foe of realism and believing it has no place in law enforcement are dangerous notions. After all the abuses of power, some of them lethal, that we have been witnessing and exposing, it seems essential that there be agents and officers who hold this organization to its highest ideals and help maintain accountability. How can anyone read the descriptions of how people from certain countries are singled for abuse and mistreatment and not come to the same conclusions Mr. Albury did? Whether he’s a hero or not is debatable, considering how long he went along with the despicable practices and open racism and xenophobia. But like many whistle blowers he brought necessary attention again to the dark underside of the FBI—at great risk to himself. I applaud him for that and ask, who is the real villain here? Historically, the FBI has had numerous sickening and shameful moments. More light needs to be shed on these organizations whose stated missions are to keep us safe, but who also can go off the rails into corruption and immoral behaviors.
32
@MCS So you're OK with the FBI using entrapment?
26
@MCS
You on the other hand seem very certain in your moral compromise. Sorry, adult behaviour and thought. Must be nice to be so certain.
21