Thursday, January 16, 2014

Awaiting the FBI cover up of Ibragim Todashev's homicide

I suppose in FBI Director James Comey's world events just run themselves as if put in motion by a prime mover. On January 9 he told reporters he was “eager” to see the report on the death of Ibragim Todashev released. Yes, after 232 days it would be nice to know exactly how Mr. Todashev expired but a compelling case can be made that Comey's role, as Director should be more than that of a casual observer looking forward to Ground Hog Day. No doubt, as what is becoming the custom in the Obama Administration, most of the narrative will be in the passive voice. No one ever errs or sins but bad things just sort of happen to good and bad people alike, such the people who suddenly found themselves without health insurance because the plan they were told they could keep was cancelled as per HHS regulations.
Comey's natural lack of curiosity aside, the rest of the country may want to know if Todashev was given his Miranda rights. Courts have ruled that when the subject feels he is not free to leave the interrogation he must be advised of those rights but the FBI refuses to answer that simple question citing its ongoing investigation. How many peace officers were huddled in Todashev's apartment? From 3 to 11 according to the FBI in various statements but no names can be released because of concerns for the agents' safety but the FBI saw no reason to withhold the name of the Coptic Christian film maker, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula who will eventually be released with the caveat that he may not arm himself.
And what about the now famous Todashev attack? Evidently the FBI is still trying to select the weapon. The weapon has morphed from a samurai sword, to a ceremonial sword, to a pole, to a pipe, to a broom, to a vase, to the table Todashev was sitting at, then to Todashev himself, the martial arts killing machine of 153 pounds with fresh surgery on one knee that made walking difficult. Given time the FBI will nail it down as it seems to have collected evidence to support any eventual conclusion. According to Todashev's widow, Reni Manukyan the FBI left nothing to chance.
“We had a yellow broom, a metal broom and then there was a mop. So they took the mop,” Manukyan said. What is referred to as a “broomstick” in the search warrant return, she says, must be the mop she found missing when she finally gained access to the condo after the FBI evidence team left. Investigators also collected a number of kitchen knives and blades, she says, as well as a ceremonial sword that she remembered as dull and broken long before that night.
“The handle was broken,” she said. “That thing was trash to me.”
We see a lot of people bludgeoned to death with mop handles!

The public may also want to know why the FBI deliberately created the dangerous situation its agents supposedly found themselves in. If they were afraid of Todashev why did they not take him to a secure location instead of questioning him for 5 hours before they perceived a life threatening danger? Are we to believe agents just sat there as Todashev rifled through a drawer of kitchen knives until he selected the ideal parry knife or the perfect mop handle?
Yes, we are all eager to read to see the report released.

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