Posted on 05/31/2011 1:04:26 PM PDT by Falcon28
Daniel Bongino has spent the last 12 years as one of the most prestigious law enforcement officials in the country. Bongino, also a NYPD veteran, has been serving the country as a Secret Service agent. During his career, he’s been a part of overseas advance teams, investigated financial crime, and protected foreign dignitaries. In fact, he‘s even been a part of President Obama’s protective detail. But now, he’s trading in his badge and pistol for a platform. That‘s because he’s running — as a Republican — to become Maryland’s next U.S. senator.
Considering Bongino retired from the agency only earlier this month, his foray into politics is turning some heads. Secret Service agents are largely viewed as apolitical, and the agency frowns on such sudden moves. Marc Ambinder over at National Journal explains:
At an agency that stresses the silence and political neutrality of its agents, Bongino’s announcement is raising eyebrows. It’s not unusual for federal law-enforcement agents to run for office after they retire, but the Secret Service frowns upon former agents who make sudden turns to politics. The agency has fought to give presidential protective division agents legal standing to keep them from testifying about high-level conversations they overhear, lest they lose the trust of the commander in chief.
(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...
Is their oath to the Commander-in-Chief first or to the Constitution? It better be the latter. I’d say if they observe a crime they are oath-bound to report it.
My guess is that now that he’s seen the belly of the beast, he understands what’s what and he is frightened of the beast and where it intends to drag America.
Maryland + Republican=loser. Kiss n’ tell will only get u so far.
I hope he writes a book and spills the beans on “The One.”
ROTFLMAOWTRDMF
Doubtful.
And a much as we’d like to hear all the gory details from an insider, it would hurt the service if their agents started doing so. And that could end up hurting someone we do care about.
Yeah, I know. Call my thought totally wishful.
True story.
While visiting an aunt and uncle in a Maryland suburb of D.C. back in the 60s, I noticed that my uncle came down to breakfast each morning and peered out the window at his neighbors’ driveways. He was a private sector engineer who was heavily involved in the development of the first instrument landing systems for airports. Nearly all his neighbors held government jobs.
One morning I asked him about his routine of peering at their driveways. He responded that he was always happy to see their cars still there as it meant that they weren’t downtown wasting office supplies and making life miserable for the rest of us.
After spending 30+ years trying to make a living in what little remains of the private sector here, I fully understand why he felt the way he did.
And can someone tell me why, when there is some lower severity situation or natural event, a government sends out word that only ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES SHOULD REPORT FOR “WORK?” It begs the question WHY THE HELL DOES A TAXPAYER FUNDED BUREAUCRACY EVEN HAVE NON-ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES??
That said, this guy's credentials strike me as pretty minimal. Just because he guarded the President doesn't make him a Senate candidate. Yoko Ono was not qualified to be a Beatle just because she hung around with John Lennon.
Cardin is such a moron that we ought to be able to beat him. He is in office only because the Republican party in Maryland is pathetic.
The poor guy probably couldn’ take one more day of it.
What were Cardin’s credentials other than being a party hack.
If this guy runs I will vote for him, I would vote for Donald Duck against either Cardin or Mukulski the troll.
His problem is getting the darker set from PG and Baltimore and the liberals in Montgomery, to vote for him, That is what elects people in Maryland.
Is this sentence redundant or is it me?
It’s not unusual for federal law-enforcement agents to run for office after they retire, but the Secret Service frowns upon former agents who make sudden turns to politics.
Cardin, like most RATs, owes his seat to family influence and party loyalty. There is certainly not a spark of creativity or brainpower working.
What qualifications did Obama have when he ran for the Senate? How about Al Franken?
It's you :-)
Not all federal law-enforcement agents are Secret Service agents.
I am still fuming at the rank amateur the party ran against Mikulski and the total nonenity they ran against my Congressman, Sarbanes in 2010. I remember seeing one or two road signs for the former. As for the latter, I never heard his name again once he won the primary.
Although I'm not a VA resident, I would have considered Ollie North qualified for his senate run based simply on his insider knowledge and experience. While this guy may not have had his fingers directly in the inner workings as Ollie did, I'm guessing his position gave him access and familiarity to a lot of issues and policy decisions that most conventional candidates could only dream about.
I would have said the same thing about Gary Aldrich back in the Clinton days. While I generally prefer our legislators to come from the private sector (minus lawyers), if they must run for office coming off a government career, I'd much prefer it be somebody who actually served in a real world capacity (i.e. Alan West) than some policy-wonk bureaucrat.
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