Checks and Balances…

One of the least understood aspects of congressional oversight is the elite group of elected politicians who are charged with congressional oversight over all intelligence activity. This highly important oversight group is called the Intelligence “Gang of Eight”.

The Gang of Eight are briefed on every covert operation that our various intelligence agencies carry out. They are directly responsible for oversight of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

The Go8 are responsible for overseeing all executive office policy as it relates to intelligence gathering and corresponding activity. In short these eight elected representatives are in charge of all oversight of all U.S. intelligence operations, open and covert. The incoming 2017 Gang of Eight is:

A position within the Gang of Eight comes as a result of holding one of the following eight positions: 1. The Speaker of the House, 2. The Minority Leader of the House, 3. the Majority Leader of the Senate, 4. the Minority Leader of the Senate, 5. the Chairperson of the House Permanent Committee on Intelligence, 6. the minority leader from the same committee; 7. The Chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee and 8. the minority leader of the same committee.

It is important to understand that everything the White House, CIA, NSA, and U.S State Department does is approved by these eight members who are accountable to the U.S. electorate. These eight representatives are the intelligence oversight “check” within the constitutionally established check and balance inside our federal government.

It is also important to understand that nothing ever happens without these eight members of congress being briefed on the occurrence. If the United States are carrying out a covert CIA mission in Benghazi, these representative would know about and have approved. If the United States is carrying out a covert CIA effort in Syria, these eight members would have to approve.

If President Obama or President Trump sign a “Presidential Finding Memo” granting the CIA authority to begin formulating a strategy or covert mission, these eight people hold the oversight responsibility to ensure the constitutional and legislative laws -which would govern any executive action- are followed.

♦ There are only three Gang of Eight members remaining from the time of the September 11th 2012 Benghazi attack in Libya (Pelosi, McConnell and Feinstein).

♦Five of the 2012 Gang of Eight members have resigned or retired from Congress (John Boehner -R, Mike Rogers -R, Harry Reid – D, Charles Ruppersberger -D, and Saxby Chambliss – R). This is not accidental.

If there is a U.S. policy that blows up into controversy, and is directly attached to the intelligence community, the Gang of Eight is just as culpable as the administration and intelligence agency itself.

This specific construct puts the most powerful Democrats and most powerful Republicans on the same hook as the administration and agency. In the modern UniParty era, this construct also means neither party has any objective toward truthfulness. Both parties are at risk.

This UniParty construct is why we knew the House Select Committee on Benghazi was never going to go anywhere. John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Mike Rogers and Saxby Chambliss were just as responsible as President Obama, Secretary Clinton and CIA Director Leon Panetta.

When you consider all of President Obama’s foreign policy failures, it is critical to remind yourself of the Republican’s who held oversight on every CIA endeavor.

Never forget this undisclosed motive to advance cover-ups.

It is also never discussed in the media.

My spidey senses are telling me that understanding these facts, and understanding the construct of this oversight, will be an important reference point for all Americans in the very near future.