The recent removal of a prominent Government Official brings, to mind, my experience in Washington in the 1970s and advice I gave to a colleague’s friend who had a high level appointment at a later time. Namely, that DC is a viper pit. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of GS15s whose sole job is to stab such appointees in the back, figuratively that is, most of the time. Namely, they are on the Government payroll and their sole function is to seek out and destroy some political appointees. They are quite good at it and, like the Mafia, it is never personal, just business. Now their “business” may just be de rigueur or it may be at the behest of some erstwhile benefactor. Kind of like Florence in the Renaissance.
My personal tour in DC was down that path where I unbenowingly angered some major player via the unbeknownst discovery of some facts which if made public may have significantly burdened his efforts. I had used my resources to uncover a what I perceived to be small issue in one of my business units and I unknowingly uncovered had discovered a major issue. Fortunately for me, my team that obtained the goods on my adversary were retired British Intel agents[1] and stored the goods in the British Embassy for good keeping.
Why was I targeted? It appears that I and my retired British Intel colleagues had unknowingly stumbled across something we should not have. I shall leave the details to later history but it was a bit of a sticky wicket. I only discovered what I had done and the potential risk when I was invited to a lunch meeting at a restaurant in McLean. It was there that I was informed of the complexity of the problem, some of what I had stumbled onto, and why, as a result of my British colleagues, I was getting a pass. The intrigues of Washington!
Thus, I was safe. This was how I got a job in New York, secure and well away from the viper’s nest of political intrigue. I was just a mid-level character in a high-level game so I could be shuffled out of the game and safe as long as my “package” was not discoverable. In fact, it may very well, still this day, be in some secure safe in some obscure British facility where it may stay for eternity, happy and unopened. (Think the Arc of the Covenant and Indiana Jones but with a British bent). The Brits are great for that sort of thing. Unknowingly I had my “back protector” to keep me safe from the “back stabbers” working for their “benefactors”
At a later time I had a colleague whose spouse obtained a high-level position in an Administration. This person was warned by me regarding the back stabbers. This person thought I was insane, I later found out. I also told them they needed a “back protector” to insure they did not terminally encounter the “back stabbers”. Needless to say, my recommendation was not adhered to and eighteen months later they were out on their back! Back Stabbers that is! It was at a later dinner that I was told that, after the fact, I had been the only one to tell them the truth, and it was a pity that they did not take my advice.
One must ask why my colleague’s spouse engaged the wrath of the “back stabbers”? Many times, they just do it as a matter of course in their limited existence. Yet many more times they are directed by “benefactors” for reasons which are well beyond what one would normally suspect. In this case I could conjure some reasons but that would take the tale a bit afar. Suffice it to say that “benefactors” have reasons to send forth the “back stabbers”. If one is not protected then the target, the person, is neutralized promptly with all due force ensuring two things. First, that they never return. Second, that the public “reason” for the neutralization is both reasonable and co-opted by the press. After all, the “press” is merely an agent of the “benefactors”.
All of this then gets to the issue of why a recent high-level resignation occurred. Besides the child like moans of the “everyone gets a trophy” generation, the same group who firmly believe that any idea each and every one of them has demands equal merit to the ideas of any and all highly accomplished older professionals. The “back stabbers” in this recent case, created a well-orchestrated termination. The gang was assembled, the psych profile on their target well understood, and the “evidence” deliberately and well-tuned to meet the level of belief.
To support the attack, the press was enlisted and the argument of alleged mistreatment of a “wimpy” staff leaked, lacking any details. Namely the target was deemed just a “nasty” person, not that the complainers were possibly just over compensating for their own gross incompetence.
Let us consider some logic about the case I have been hypothesizing about. We know the facts. Great person, high level position, well know personality and achievements. However, in a potentially politically sensitive position and with access to information and the like which could make certain “benefactors” uncomfortable. The target had not yet acted nor most likely did the target even suspect anything. The “benefactors” were just being careful.
Thus, send in the “back stabbers”. We can conjecture:
First, someone or someone group of “benefactors” wanted the target out of there because of what the target may have seen, discovered, or about to discover.
Second, from the start the “benefactors” had a fully developed psych profile of the target and the target’s staff
Third the target’s staff is comprised of a group of self praising elitists who believe that whatever they think is right and the best idea. However, in this collection of self-congratulatory elitists were the “back stabbers”. The “back stabbers” were primed to act upon requests from the “benefactors”. This would be easy since the staff in general was highly motivate able as classic Millennials.
Fourth, as we very well know every Government agency has GS15 “back stabbers” and the target clearly did not hire the target’s back protector. Perhaps the failure was due to the target’s own ego, perhaps the target thought they have some invincibility.
Fifth, the “benefactor”, seeking the target’s removal, knew the target’s weak points and set up situations where they could be implemented, documented, communicated, and made public.
Sixth, the “back stabbers” recorded, promoted, prodded the useless ego driven Government employees to get the target to exert themself in a well understood psych profile manner that resulted in a compromising set of circumstances.
Seventh in coordination with their White House Staff buddies, also “back stabbers”, they attacked.
Eighth, the “target” never knew what hit!
Ninth the “benefactors” win again. But the major question is what did they do and why? That is the real problem. What was target about to stumble on, a vulnerable “benefactor”, Chinese connections, money gatherings?
Tenth, the “benefactors” also must have something on the target that makes the target even apologize as the target leaves. Moreover the “benefactors” make the debasement so significant and potentially long lasting as a permanent reminder of what could be worse if they ever even tried to recall events. The approach is one of total destruction and yet presenting a possible future even more devastating. Oftentimes, this is done in conjunction with the “press” who are aligned with the interests of the “benefactors”.
Connect the dots, it is akin to Three Days of the Condor[2]! Of course this is all just speculation.
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