HUGH E. McGEE

Williamsport

Has the FBI become a political police department?

Somehow it appears so to me. On Friday, Jan. 25, an FBI SWAT team with 27 agents, 17 vehicles, including two armored vehicles, in full tactical gear with automatic weapons, guns drawn made a pre-dawn raid at the home of political operative Roger Stone in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to arrest him.

What was Mr. Stone’s alleged crime?

He allegedly lied to Congress.

Roger Stone did not commit a crime of violence and lived at his home with only his wife who was hearing impaired. He did not have a valid passport, nor did he possess or own a gun.

It should have been embarrassing to the Director of the FBI, Christopher Wray that his agents were used in such an operation. This arrest was overkill in a major way. I think it is an obligation of the FBI leadership to explain to the American people why they would engage in such an embarrassing overkill operation to effect an arrest of someone who posed no harm to the public.

The FBI’s SWAT team could have been put to better use in Houston, Texas, on Monday, Jan. 28, when four Houston police officers were shot, two critically wounded, while they were attempting to serve a search warrant and effect an arrest of drug dealers.