Some clear thinking on why Comey should stand trial

It was more than 2,500 years ago in ancient Athens when democracy first took root. And the ancient Athenians quickly realized that if they wanted to have a cohesive society, they needed to ensure the utmost trust in their institutions and in their government.

This is why they developed a formal method to hold politicians and public officials accountable for their conduct.

Upon leaving office, every public official, from the highest magistrate to the lowliest market overseer to the most illustrious general, was required to submit detailed financial records within 30 days of their departure.

It was called euthyna. And it was an obvious check against financial corruption. Even the slightest discrepancy would be thoroughly investigated and potentially brought to trial.

This was no mere formality. Pericles himself, the golden-tongued statesman who guided Athens through its Golden Age, was hauled before the auditors and fined for misappropriating funds during the construction of the Parthenon.

But even beyond money, departing officials faced intense scrutiny over their actions and decisions while in office.

This wasn’t about holding officials to impossible standards. The Athenians understood that humans make mistakes. But they also understood the difference between an honest error and an inexcusable betrayal of the public trust.

After Athens’ naval victory at Arginusae in 406 BCE, for example, six generals who had failed to rescue survivors from storm-damaged ships faced public trial and were executed—not for losing a battle, but for failing in their duty to their men.

In ancient Athens there were real consequences for gross misconduct—fines, trials, even execution. And it worked.

It reduced petty corruption, laziness, and incompetence. The system wasn’t perfect, but Athens thrived.

How many of today’s public officials would survive that kind of scrutiny?

Modern America has no euthyna. There is no formal process to examine whether elected leaders actually did their jobs to the best of their abilities— with integrity, energy, and reason. There is no standard for holding them to account beyond, frankly, incompetent and easily-fooled voters.

Informally, however, the US was supposed to have an institution to shine light on the darkest corners of power: the press.

This is no accident; the Founding Fathers believed that a free press should act as a vital watchdog over the government.

Madison argued in Federalist No. 51 that the press was critical to “expose the maladministration of public affairs.”

But instead of scrutinizing government, today’s media is comprised of political activists masquerading as journalists. And rather than holding public officials accountable, they act as the de facto mouthpiece for the Far Left, complicit in rampant criminality and the destruction of American values.

Just weeks before the 2020 election they suppressed the very real Hunter Biden laptop story, falsely claiming it was Russian misinformation.

When citizen journalists took matters into their own hands on social media, those individuals were censored.

You might also recall when Twitter in 2021 (before Elon bought it) actually suspended the account of someone who was publishing Nancy Pelosi’s stock trades.

More recently, the mayor of Charlotte applauded the press for attempting (unsuccessfully) to bury to murder of Iryna Zarutska by a black man on a public train.

Meanwhile, on CNN, Van Jones worried that telling the truth about that brutal killing would make people oppose cashless bail policies and jump on “bandwagons”.

Rather than scrutinize those in power and report the facts honestly, the media kills stories, engineers narratives, doctors footage, and manipulates voters.

And in many respects, this is why James Comey needs to stand trial.

It’s not like there isn’t obvious cause; the former Director of the FBI was indicted for lying to Congress in relation to the “Russia-gate” hoax targeting Trump in his first term.

Comey said he hadn’t authorized a leak damaging to Trump’s public image, when in fact he had. And the evidence is pretty damning.

Comey knew the rules. He broke the rules. And he did it while serving as Director of the FBI—one of the top law enforcement officers in the country.

As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. And while ALL public officials should be honest, we’re not talking about some mid-level bureaucrat at the Department of Agriculture.

Comey led 13,000+ special agents who make 70,000+ arrests per year. As head of the FBI, Comey’s integrity should be beyond reproach because it is a direct reflection of the nation’s premier law enforcement agency.

It’s the same reason why Lisa Cook should have been immediately suspended after allegations of mortgage fraud surfaced. As a Federal Reserve governor, any hint of financial impropriety, i.e. deceiving the very same banks that she is supposed to regulate for personal financial gain, is a direct affront to the Fed’s integrity.

Likewise, any hint of deceit from Comey’s (and there are a lot more than mere hints) is a direct affront to the integrity of the FBI.

The media refuses to cover this story. Rather, Comey was rewarded with a book deal and lucrative speaking gigs. Yet the public still deserves the truth. Voters should know if their leaders and institutions can be trusted.

People are whining that Comey’s prosecution is “politicized”. Duh. President Trump obviously directed his Attorney General to go after Comey.

But that doesn’t change the fundamental fact that there is overwhelming evidence that a senior-ranking public official in the United States did something deceitful and dirty. It’s not “politicized” if it’s true.

Comey dragged the entire country into a mess that, at minimum, weakened America’s standing abroad, to say nothing of the colossal waste of time and money, plus national security and election implications.

If he is truly innocent, then he should have nothing to fear. And I truly hope that justice is applied impartially.

But that doesn’t take away the need for scrutiny over someone in power. And in my view, Comey standing trial is modern euthyna. Finally. And I’d like to see more public officials, regardless of party, held to the same standard.

The country will be better off if politicians and bureaucrats are held accountable for corruption, deceit, negligence, and gross incompetence.

Given the media’s complicity, the legal system is the only remaining mechanism to shine light on the truth.

And the fact that it even needs to go to trial is a damning indictment of just how pathetic and derelict the American media has become.

Source

Simon Black is an international investor, entrepreneur and permanent traveler. His daily letter is both educational and entertaining, and we suggest that those who want unbiased, actionable information about global opportunities sign up for Sovereign Man’s free, actionable newsletter at http://www.SovereignMan.com.

From Simon Black of SovereignMan.com

Source: https://www.schiffsovereign.com/trends/some-clear-thinking-on-why-comey-should-stand-trial-153604/