This is no longer the FBI of Efrem Zimbalist Jr, who played FBI inspector Lewis Erskine, a squeaky clean and honorable agent, in the popular TV series from the 1960s and 70s. Instead we have a cast of deplorables in the modern-day soap opera called the FBI, including former directors Mueller and Comey. And senior leaders well known by name to American Thinker readers, but never mentioned on network or cable news -- Wray, Strzok, Priestap, Baker, McCabe, and Page.

The FBI’s mission is, “To protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States.” How is that working out lately? Seems they are doing the opposite. Protecting its own corrupt players and undermining the Constitution by illegally disrupting the peaceful transition of power between presidential administrations.

Who wears a white hat? Who wears a black hat? Any singing like a songbird to OIG Horowitz, trying to save their skin and stay out of prison? Speculation abounds as to how this plays out. I have my theories, perhaps only wishes.

The rot and stench at the FBI and DOJ goes far beyond what they did do to what they didn’t do. And are still not doing. Like a fire department wasting time and resources answering endless false alarms, the FBI missed and continue to miss five-alarm fires.

The priorities of the FBI include protecting the U.S. against foreign intelligence and espionage, against cyber-attacks, and combating public corruption and violent crimeat all levels.

It seems to me they have failed bigly, especially as recent revelations show that the FBI and DOJ are in the midst of the biggest public corruption scandal of our time. Instead through dereliction of their statutory duties, they are responsible for numerous needless deaths.

The FBI, working with and under the DOJ, have pursued a political agenda, not one of the priorities listed on the FBI website. First, they turned a blind eye to true political corruption: Fast and Furious, Cliven Bundy, Lois Lerner and her weaponized IRS, Uranium One, Hillary Clinton’s emails, the Clinton Foundation pay-to-play. Scandals all buried to protect the bosses, from Eric Holder to Barack Obama. And their anointed successor, Hillary Clinton.

Rather than “combating public corruption at all levels”, the FBI instead had a new priority. Meddling in a presidential election, attempting to destroy one candidate and elect another. And after having failed, their new priority was to destroy the duly elected President, crippling his administration or better yet removing him from office. So much for the FBI mission of “upholding the Constitution.” More like undermining the Constitution.

While chasing windmills of Trump-Russia collusion, which after several years of investigation, is nothing but the Loch Ness monster. What has the FBI not been doing? With deadly consequences.

Just days ago, multiple tip and warnings given to the FBI concerning the Florida school shooter went unheeded, with predictable consequences.

President Trump tweeted, “Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable.” AG Jeff Sessions echoed, “It is now clear that the warning signs were there and tips to the FBI were missed. We see the tragic consequences of those failures.”

Where’s Efrem Zimbalast when we need him? A national police force is behaving more like the Stasi or the KGB than the FBI, doing the bidding of their political masters rather than their core mission. Sure, it’s Trump’s FBI now, but his ability to clean house is virtually nonexistent with the Mueller probe still active.

Trump’s perfectly legitimate and Constitutional dismissal of Director Comey is what gave birth to the special counsel investigation. Cleaning house at the FBI and DOJ would surely lead to impeachment and removal from office as there are enough #NeverTrump Republicans who would gleefully join the Democrats screaming “obstruction of justice” to send Donald Trump back to Trump Tower.

Now the FBI is in CYA mode, scrambling to keep the above-named deep staters out of prison and restore the deeply tarnished image of the FBI. No wonder tips about school shooters were placed on the back burner, given the more pressing survivalist priorities of the FBI.

It’s not just the recent Florida shooting either. The FBI was warned, by Russia no less, about the Tsarnaev brothers, the Boston Marathon Bombers. What other warnings went unheeded? Charleston, Pulse Nightclub, Fort Hood, Benghazi.

A politicized FBI, straying far from its mission, becoming a weaponized political arm of the ruling party, is leaving Americans in danger. Spending over a year investigating and discovering the obvious, that Russians meddle in American politics, distracted the FBI from its primary mission of “protecting the American people.”

Mueller’s indictments are truly a nothingburger. Russians, not the Russian government, meddled in the election. And after the election. Not for a particular candidate but to cause chaos and confusion.

The distractions worked, but most of these distractions are self-inflicted, the FBI playing politics rather than law enforcement. Not only failing to stop mass killers before they struck, but also crippling the President. A constant cloud over his head, impeding his ability to govern and fulfill his Constitutional duties.

What happens if a conflict arises with the Russians? How is Trump to act? Go easy on the Russians and he is “colluding” with them. Be tough and he will be accused of it being an act to cover up his “collusion.” And with Russia and nukes, that’s a very dangerous game. Like Trump or not, does crippling the American President make #NeverTrumpers sleep well at night?

The media is dutifully cheerleading and defending the corrupt government agencies. Ensuring that the Washington Post motto reaches fruition, that democracy does indeed die in darkness.

Perhaps if the media turned on the lights rather than braying in the darkness, the FBI would have returned to its core mission and a bunch of dead high school students would instead be doing homework and watching the Olympics this weekend.

Brian C Joondeph, MD, MPS, a Denver based physician and writer. Follow him on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.