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From what I understood from the OP link, the FBI are working closely with US attorneys on how to structure and sequence their cases. I really don't understand

From what I understood from the OP link, the FBI are working closely with US attorneys on how to structure and sequence their cases. I really don't understand why you have theorised that a US attorney would allow attacks to take place. Obviously an attorney is seeking closed prosecutions, and the article is about closing prosecutorial cases against people "plotting" attacks, and, therefore, no additional steps are required in order to obtain prosecution.

coolhand2120 3y ago
Maybe Google operation north woods?
roenxi 3y ago
The FBI has a bunch of professionals learning how to convince mentally unstable people to commit to doing criminal acts. They have a long history of weird political interference [0]. How are we verifying that they are only doing morally offensive but legal things? What is the safety valve if they slip into morally offensive illegal things? The Snowden approach didn't work, he just ended up hiding in Russia and the security state shrugged hard. And that was just spying, if they're assassinating people, who is going to take the fall? It looks like the people on the ground are already self-selected thugs so probably not them. It is possible that they don't always using their skills legally and under supervision. It is like computer security researchers - some are law abiding, some are a bit dodgy and do things that aren't legal. With FISA in the mix we can't even be completely sure what is legal in this area anyway. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI%E2%80%93King_suicide_letter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI%E2%80%93King_suicide_lette...
smsm42 3y ago
> I really don't understand why you have theorised that a US attorney would allow attacks to take place. They have a tactic they could employ in this case, commonly called "lying". Remember how FBI lawyer lied to FISA court? How long was his prison sentence after he got caught, what do you think? Trick question, because he didn't get any prison time at all. He also haven't lost his law license, because lying to the court where there's no adversarial process and that wholly relies on honesty of the lawyers to suspend human rights of citizens - is not grounds for disbarment. This is what happens if you get caught red-handed lying in the probably hottest case in the history of the nation. In smaller cases, there's usually not even an indictment, people just shrug and move on. Testilying is routine enough to have its own word. The practice is routine enough to have a long Wikipedia article [1] (actually, two articles). Practically never prosecuted. Of course, when and if and comes out, the US Attorney who was on the receiving end probably would be pissed. So what. If the goal worth it, it will be done. They'd just present it as a routine operation, lie in the sensitive parts, and nobody will know it until it'd be too late. Or maybe long after. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_perjury https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_perjury

coolhand2120 3y ago

Maybe Google operation north woods?

roenxi 3y ago

The FBI has a bunch of professionals learning how to convince mentally unstable people to commit to doing criminal acts. They have a long history of weird political interference [0]. How are we verifying that they are only doing morally offensive but legal things? What is the safety valve if they slip into morally offensive illegal things? The Snowden approach didn't work, he just ended up hiding in Russia and the security state shrugged hard. And that was just spying, if they're assassinating people, who is going to take the fall? It looks like the people on the ground are already self-selected thugs so probably not them. It is possible that they don't always using their skills legally and under supervision. It is like computer security researchers - some are law abiding, some are a bit dodgy and do things that aren't legal. With FISA in the mix we can't even be completely sure what is legal in this area anyway. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI%E2%80%93King_suicide_letter https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FBI%E2%80%93King_suicide_lette...

smsm42 3y ago

> I really don't understand why you have theorised that a US attorney would allow attacks to take place. They have a tactic they could employ in this case, commonly called "lying". Remember how FBI lawyer lied to FISA court? How long was his prison sentence after he got caught, what do you think? Trick question, because he didn't get any prison time at all. He also haven't lost his law license, because lying to the court where there's no adversarial process and that wholly relies on honesty of the lawyers to suspend human rights of citizens - is not grounds for disbarment. This is what happens if you get caught red-handed lying in the probably hottest case in the history of the nation. In smaller cases, there's usually not even an indictment, people just shrug and move on. Testilying is routine enough to have its own word. The practice is routine enough to have a long Wikipedia article [1] (actually, two articles). Practically never prosecuted. Of course, when and if and comes out, the US Attorney who was on the receiving end probably would be pissed. So what. If the goal worth it, it will be done. They'd just present it as a routine operation, lie in the sensitive parts, and nobody will know it until it'd be too late. Or maybe long after. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_perjury https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_perjury