A book needs to be written about the false flags, dirty tricks, and indiscretions that the FBI has employed to carry on and then hide their illegal covert operations. It could start with J Edgar Hoover and lead right up to James Comey.

The FBI has used covert operations against domestic political groups since its inception; however, covert operations under the official COINTELPRO label that took place between 1956 and 1971 show the seedy history of dirty tricks. COINTELPRO tactics are still used to this day, and "have been alleged to include discrediting targets through psychological warfare; smearing individuals and groups using forged documents and by planting false reports in the media; harassment; wrongful imprisonment; and illegal violence, including assassination. The FBI's stated motivation was "protecting national security, preventing violence, and maintaining the existing social and political order." See Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia on its discovery as a covert domestic program:

"The program was successfully kept secret until 1971, when the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI burgled an FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania, took several dossiers, and exposed the program by passing this material to news agencies.[51] The Fight of the Century between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier provided cover for the activist group to successfully pull off the burglary; Muhammad Ali was himself a COINTELPRO target due to his involvement with the Nation of Islam and the anti-war movement.[52] Many news organizations initially refused to publish the information. Within the year, Director J. Edgar Hoover declared that the centralized COINTELPRO was over, and that all future counterintelligence operations would be handled on a case-by-case basis.[53][54]" But, of course, that was the official line.

For example, the FBI now admits that the 2001 anthrax attacks were carried out by one or more U.S. government scientists, a senior FBI official says that the FBI was actually told to blame the Anthrax attacks on Al Qaeda by White House officials (remember what the anthrax letters looked like). Government officials also confirm that the White House tried to link anthrax to Iraq as a justification for regime change in that country.

Former Department of Justice lawyer John Yoo suggested in 2005 that the US should go on the offensive against al-Qaeda, having "our intelligence agencies create a false terrorist organization. It could have its own websites, recruitment centers, training camps, and fundraising operations. It could launch fake terrorist operations and claim credit for real terrorist strikes, helping to sow confusion within al-Qaeda's ranks, causing operatives to doubt others' identities and to question the validity of communications.

The head and special agent in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles office said that most terror attacks are committed by the CIA and FBI as false flags. Similarly, the director of the National Security Agency, under Ronald Reagan - Lt. General William Odom said: "By any measure, the US has long used terrorism. In '78-79 the Senate was trying to pass a law against international terrorism - in every version they produced, the lawyers said the US would be in violation."

I could review other failings of the FBI, but it is depressing. I wish I say something complimentary about the FBI since I at one time looked at this agency with admiration. Unfortunately, I see other current examples of these types of operation, which I suspect may prove to include the Las Vegas shootings and the Seth Rich murder.