I’ve been writing about the amazingly corrupt and illegal practices of the FBI for years, including recently in The FBI hides evidence of being the FBI, a cautionary tale about FBI agents destroying incriminating evidence of their misdeeds:

Graphic: X Screenshot

An excerpt from that article:

Generally speaking, anyone who destroys evidence of a crime becomes, at the least, an accessory after the fact to that crime even if they didn’t actively participate in it. With such people, there is always the possibility of conspiracy charges, and depending on the nature of the crimes, treason. The FBI is a primary agency charged with defending national security, and our enemies offer many temptations for those willing to betray America beyond the perks and power of being an American Stasi.

At my home blog, in Druggie, Drunk, Lazy, Fat, Unemployed, Stupid? The FBI Wants You! I wrote about the DEI policies that forced the FBI to hire and retain incredibly unqualified, even dangerous, agents like this:

Graphic: Affidavit. Public domain.

Kash Patel and Dan Bongino have a monumental task ahead of them, which includes catching and prosecuting FBI employees not only destroying evidence, but trying to flee the country:

An FBI agent who accused the first Trump administration of political bias and claimed that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani "may have been compromised" by Russian agents was arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday before he could flee the country.

According to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday, Johnathan Buma was charged with illegally disclosing confidential documents.

Buma, a 15-year FBI veteran and counterintelligence specialist who criticized the first Trump administration's handling of classified information, allegedly printed out nearly 130 files from internal FBI networks in October 2023.

Golly. I wonder where he was going?

According to the source article, Buma printed out sensitive foreign adversary documents and other documents relating to confidential human sources. Some of this may have been for a book Buma was writing:

Buma allegedly also printed out screenshots of messages he exchanged with a confidential source via an encrypted messaging application — images containing information the complaint noted somehow ended up in a news article later that year.

After he allegedly printed what he needed for his tell-all autobiographical book, Buma notified his supervisors of his intent to go on leave without pay. It appears that Buma was not discreet about the planned contents of his book during his unpaid sabbatical, sharing excerpts on social media and allegedly circulating a draft via email that allegedly included details about the bureau's investigations into a foreign country's weapons of mass destruction program.

"The book draft contained information that Buma obtained through his position as an FBI Special Agent that relates to the FBI's efforts and investigations into a foreign country's weapons of mass destruction program," said the complaint.

Fortunately, it appears there were at least a few honest, competent, agents at the FBI. One doesn’t simply “go on leave without pay” from any law enforcement agency without a damned good reason and without prior permission. The article does not say whether Buma had permission, but it would appear he did not. This is interesting:

The attorney representing Buma after the raid claimed that the document search was retaliation for Buma's complaints to congressional investigators about [Rudy] Giuliani's alleged interactions with foreign agents as well as about supposed discrimination and bias at the bureau.

It appears Buma was a part of the anti-Trump lawfare against Giuliani.

Buma previously claimed that there was a desire among his fellows — at the same bureau that undermined President Donald Trump's campaign and presidency — to scrutinize Hunter Biden's dodgy dealings but not similarly to look into one of Trump's closest allies.

Buma's lawyer is alleging the FBI—the FBI?!—was hot to investigate Hunter Biden, but not to pursue one of Trump’s associates? The number of Trump Associates ruined by legal fees might find that ludicrous.

Amazingly, Buma was arraigned and released on a $100,000 bond. Amazing because here is a former FBI agent apprehended at an airport on his way to an undisclosed overseas destination. We don’t know if the DOJ wanted him held as a flight risk (Duh), or whether a judge ignored that reality and released him on a 10% bond. These days it’s amazing when anyone is required to obtain a bond.

At this point, it’s hard to know whether this is early evidence of Patel and Bongino’s effort to clean up the FBI--if that’s possible--or merely an inexplicable anomaly at an agency long gone rogue. I wouldn’t expect traditional media to continue to report on this case, or to try to answer that question, unless it’s to complain about Trump Administration efforts to restore the rule of law.

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Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.