The panel on Fox Business’ Wednesday broadcast of “Mornings with Maria” ventured into territory seldom covered in the mainstream media: a discussion of the so-called “Deep State.” WATCH:



The concept, describing an irreplaceable bureaucracy of professionals and specialists operating beneath public democratic institutions, is well-known in academia but relatively infrequently discussed in popular media. Recent suggestions of extrajudicial involvement by the intelligence community in bringing about the dismissal of former National Security Adviser General Michael Flynn has brought the idea to new prominence.

“The Deep State is not just in the area of security and intelligence, it’s throughout the bureaucracy and right across the board,” explained author and Fox News contributor Steve Hilton. “In all areas of policy, Trump, quite rightly, is going to challenge the thinking of the last few decades.”

Worried by the Flynn affair, Hilton warned that this “Deep State” would continue to resist President Trump’s agenda. “I think we can expect more of this from different bits of the government and he’s got to fight back hard.”

Judge Andrew Napolitano, another panelist, echoed Hilton’s concerns. “I mean the Deep State, it’s not just intelligence, it’s banking, it’s law enforcement, it’s the administrative agencies…It’s the below the radar service of the government that never changes no matter which party runs the White House,” he said, “…The laws have been written to keep them in power.”