Dead Drop: June 23

DEEP STATE INSECURITIES: Several Republican 2024 presidential candidates have been vocal about their distrust of the Justice Department and FBI. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, for example, has vowed to tear down and rebuild DOJ and fire FBI Director Chris Wray on day one of his administration. And, of course, it is no secret that former President Trump holds the same outfits in low regard. Last week, he pledged to “totally obliterate the deep state” if he returned to office. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R, CA) said last week, that he supports blocking funding to build a new FBI headquarters, a move that some of his colleagues have proposed in order to punish the G-Men and women because they have somehow been “weaponized.” And on Wednesday, Fox News host Jesse Watters said the FBI and CIA could use what was on Hunter Biden’s laptop to blackmail President Biden. “They can just dangle it in front of Joe and he has to do whatever they say or else, ‘boop’”  he said. But lest you think that Republicans have the market cornered on distrusting the government – we give you Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who told popular podcaster Joe Rogan recently that Kennedy feels he’s “gotta be careful” about the possibility of the U.S. government trying to assassinate him. Kennedy said “I’m aware of that danger and I don’t live in fear of it at all. But I’m not stupid about it and I take precautions.” He also has previously said that there is “overwhelming evidence that the CIA was involved” in the murder of his uncle, JFK, and that this is “beyond a reasonable doubt at this point.”

SECRET SERVICE: During the last mid-term election, some DOD employee inappropriately released information from the personnel records of several former USAF service members who were running for elective office as Republicans. While it was clearly an error, the Air Force said that “There was no evidence of political motivation or malicious intent on the part of any employee.” But now, NBC News’  Courtney Kube reports that some members of Congress are proposing legislation that – according to one unnamed defense official – “…is a complete overreaction to a misunderstanding.” The legislation would ban the release of any personal information about people’s military service without that person’s written permission. Currently, the media and the public can obtain information like a person’s rank, dates of rank, past duty assignments, awards and decorations, duty status and official photo. If the ban goes into effect, it will make it much easier for those prone to “stolen valor” to make outlandish claims about their past military service and stymie the media and the public from uncovering hoaxes. Doug Sterner, who maintains a database of Medal of Honor recipients and who fought to have a law enacted to make illegal pretending to have been awarded a high military honor, said that banning the release of military service records is “…a horrible idea, and it flies in the face of the true history of the men and women that preserved this great nation.”