Chapter 56
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The congressman’s Southeastern accent was, if you had been forced to listen to his speeches over the years, getting stronger. This was despite spending most of his time in DC or on junkets. The accent affected the assistant director of the FBI the way fingernails on a blackboard affected other people, if there were still such things as blackboards. Because assistant director Alexander Reed had to talk to him right after his speech, he figured that he might was well listen to it.
“…why this legislation is so important. We have passed the fourteen-year anniversary of 9/11. The innocent men and women killed in the twin towers, the scars on our nation, the economic hardships we have suffered since, are all terrible, terrible things. My son-in-law died in Afghanistan trying to bring the very people who did this evil to justice.” Here the congressman paused, having to collect himself, with real tears in his eyes. He set his lantern jaw, and leaned forward, staring directly in to the camera, his famous blue eyes piercing under the bushy brows.
“I can tell you with absolute faith that the horrors of that attack pale in comparison to what would happen if some of the biotech research in the private sector and in our universities was to be weaponized by our enemies. This is why it is absolutely necessary for Homeland Security to have oversight over viral research in this country. We are in conversations with responsible governments around the world about this. Many of them feel strongly, as we do, that they should adopt a similar process. Bill 2015, the Freedom from Bio-Terror Act, would give us the power we need to make sure these biological horrors don’t happen. Please write and email your congressman and tell them that you support this bill. I know that the freedom to pursue research in these areas is vital to our economic well-being as a nation. I can assure you with all the faith I have in our divine savior that we would not interfere with this research in any way, simply make sure that it is not perverted to our enemies’ use, just like our own airplanes were used on 9/11.”
“How many of you would have liked to have avoided the problems in the laboratory that resulted in hundreds of poor beagles being killed? While euthanizing these poor animals was absolutely necessary to keep our population safe, wouldn’t it be better to prevent things like this? Imagine if one of those animals had made it on to a school ground. Imagine children trying to care for one of the poor beasts, not knowing of the horrors it carried. Imagine that it was the school where your child played. We can prevent things like this from happening in the future. I could go on with example after example where luck has been on our side. Let’s not rely on luck any more. Support HR Bill 2015, The Freedom From Bio-Terror Attack Bill and we can all sleep more soundly at night. Thank you for your support.”
With that the congressman left the stage to thunderous applause. A few minutes later his staffer walked into the room, checking to make sure it was empty. A tech followed and swept the room for bugs. Only then did the congressman stride in. Without the usual pleasantries, the congressman dove in.
“All you got to do boy, is just dig a little deeper. You fellows know he’s doing business with them Chinese in Hong Kong. And you know them Chinese in Hong Kong are doing business with them Chinese in China. You know he is one slick con man. Heck, you know there is no way he could have been smart enough to pick them stocks like he did years ago, without some kind of advanced knowledge, but your friends over at the SEC couldn’t prove it. Now you got way more tools. You got the Patriot Act, which means you can investigate the heck out of him and don’t even have to tell him a darn thing about it, darn it!”
“Sir, I agree that he is a very smart man. I haven’t ever heard anyone call him a con man. The words I hear used to describe him are-honest to a fault, fair, hard-working, brilliant, a trusted friend, pillar of the community…”
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“Hold on right there, boy. You are talking like he is some gosh darned paragon of virtue. He doesn’t even go to church, darn it. What kind of person doesn’t go to church? I haven’t missed a Sunday Mass in thirty years.”
This assistant director of the FBI thought about the rumors he had heard, wondering if they were true. If they were, this particular congressman should live in the confessional. Maybe then the congressman would keep his dick in his pants and not stick it in underage girls and boys. Now that would be something that would be worth surveillance hours. The assistant director of the FBI had an eleven-year-old nephew who was molested at a church camp.
“Sir, I agree that he is probably breaking some securities or tax laws. It is almost impossible not to. I also know he is a twice-wounded veteran and a decorated war hero. He does business with other wounded and decorated war heroes. He gives heavily to charity and, may I remind you, to our President’s library. If anyone finds out about us spending precious resources on him when we have genuine terrorist threats…”
The assistant director didn’t get a chance to finish.
“Darn it boy! I am telling you he’s dirty. You know I have been right before. Treasury and the SEC are playing ball with me here. Do you want them to get all the glory?”
Assistant director Alexander Reed of the FBI did not want someone else to get all the glory. His career was stalled and ”glory” of the right kind could jump-start it. He also knew that the current Acting Director of the FBI did not give a flying fuck about glory. The assistant director knew that the current acting, and he hoped, future permanent director of the FBI, had only one ambition. That was to restore the FBI to its former high standards and make it as incorruptible and non-political as legend had wrongly painted it to be in the past. The assistant director knew he smelled an opportunity. He smiled as subserviently as he could, moved his bionic leg out of the way and leaned forward.
“No Senator, I do not want people in the Treasury Department and The SEC to get all the glory. I would like some of that glory too. If you could just give me a few facts, some specifics that I could take to my boss, then I would be more than happy to pursue this,” the assistant director said. While he said it he thought how much ‘glory’ he would get if he gave his boss a dirty congressman. It would be icing on the cake if he could also give the Acting Director officials in the Treasury Department and SEC who were using their official positions to illegally pressure a war hero and patriot to curry political favor.