Evidence and The Cop In Me

This is a bit of a departure from my usual Sunday column, so please bear with me.

I worked for the United States Justice Department, Federal Bureau of Prisons, for twenty-two years. I retired on the last day of 2009. Outside the fence, I was a Pastor, but inside the wall, I was a guard. I was involved in my share of criminal investigations inside the prison. In one case, by gathering information from inmate phone calls, I helped shut down a child pornography ring on the East Coast.

By saying these things, I am not trying to brag but to show that I am familiar with how investigations work. I understand the difference between circumstantial evidence and evidence worthy enough to be proof.

Sometimes, all you have is your gut; you know something is wrong. You may not even know what it is, but something is the matter. In these situations, you tend to heighten your awareness and talk to informants in an attempt to figure out what is brewing.

Sometimes, you know of the crime but have little or no evidence, but you have a strong suspicion about a suspect. In these times, you must be careful that your suspicions do not lead you away from the evidence.

Still, at other times, there is a mountain of circumstantial evidence but no smoking gun. When this is the case, you must keep digging.

During an investigation, you follow leads, look for supporting evidence from witness statements, and pay close attention to those caught in a lie or attempt to hide by withholding information or changing their statement. You also look at changes in patterns. For example, if a man has not come home for lunch in five years, why did he do so on the day of his wife’s murder? His surprise lunch break is not evidence, but it does raise suspicion. Since his actions were so far outside his norm, investigators must discover the reasoning behind his actions.

Why am I explaining all this? I want people to understand my mindset in the things I am about to say.

To quote Shakespeare, “There is something rotten in Denmark.” To put it bluntly – something is wrong with the American political system.

Looking at events over the last few years through the eyes of a trained investigator, things need to be clarified. No smoking gun exists, but we stand in a debris field of suspicion.

The 2020 election.

I am still undecided about the 2020 election, and here is why: Videos of people repeatedly stuffing mailboxes with dozens of ballots, the supposed stopping of counting votes, and the sudden change of voting laws to allow mail-in ballots on a broad scale, all raise suspicion. I understand that these things had their days in the courts. Still, something that is odd to me is this: The election being rigged or stolen was something tens of millions of people believed. Why was there no Senate or Congressional hearing? We have nearly half the people who voted believing that the voting system, the very root of democracy, has been compromised, and the public is unable to watch the process of finding the truth about the situation. It sure does look like something was being hidden and pushed under the rug as quickly as possible.

Was the election rigged? I don’t know. There is no smoking gun. Was the election on the up and up? I don’t know; too many questions remain unanswered.

The Trump convictions.

Prosecutors monkeyed with the statute of limitations to allow the trial to happen. Laws were interpreted and implemented as never before. These actions are a change in the norm, something that raises suspicion.

The timing of the Presidential debate and Biden’s mental condition.

I lump these two together because they are closely connected. Many of us, including myself, have experienced loved ones with dementia. Sometimes, years pass before a doctor diagnoses someone with dementia, but things are said like, “Something wasn’t right with Grandpa today.”

In the early days, my Mom had good days and bad days. However, as time passed, Mom had more bad than good days, and then came the days when she did not recognize her own family. I believe President Biden believed he was telling the truth when he said about the debate, “I had a bad day.” However, I find it impossible to believe that those who see the President every day, or even weekly, did not know of his mental decline. Just watching the news, I saw the decline in cognitive capabilities months ago. As an investigator, my conclusion must be that these people are lying to me. A witness who lies raises suspicion.

When the date of the debate was announced, I commented on social media that the Democrats would use it to remove Biden from the ticket. The change in pattern raises suspicion. No presidential debate was ever held before the conventions. Why this one? Because of Biden’s cognitive decline, the Democrats knew they were throwing a sheep to the wolves. Those at the top of the power structure knew the debate would bring cries from Democratic lawmakers further down the power chain.

Meanwhile, America has watched the plan play out in front of us. The timing of the debate and the events after the debate until now suggest a well-orchestrated plan by the Democratic party elite to keep power. There is much circumstantial evidence for a political machine running the government, but no smoking gun exists.

The Trump Assassination Attempt.

Security 101: Do not put the person you are protecting in harm’s way. If there was a known threat, Trump should never have gone out on stage before the danger was removed or verified as a non-threat. If your charge is already on stage, remove them immediately. Anyone on the security team should be allowed to order the removal of the President from the stage at the first sign of a threat, such as seeing someone with a gun. There is no evidence of a conspiracy at this point, but someone needs to answer for the security breakdown and apparent incompetence.

Conclusion.

I don’t know about Denmark, but something is rotten in the United States.