
Reissuing the Schlesinger Directive
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn (USA-Ret.)
Now that a Joint Session of Congress has certified the vote of the Electoral College and declared President Trump the winner (winning 312 electoral votes to only 226 for Kamala Harris), the 2024 Presidential election process has finally ended. While Democrats made the tactical choice not to again raise their insurrection charge against President Trump, that tells us nothing about what will happen when President Trump takes over on January 20.
To be sure, some of the most controversial officials — like FBI Director Christopher Wray, ATF Director Steven Dettelbach, and U.S. Attorney for D.C. Matthew Graves who ruthlessly pursued January 6 protestors — have headed for the hills. And the rest of the Biden high command will leave at noon on January 20. However, no one should assume that there will be a peaceful transition within the departments and agencies.
Many of the less-well-known Biden officials who were hired as political appointees have burrowed themselves into the ranks of the civil service to try to stay on the government payroll to continue Biden’s policies in the Trump Administration. Many of these staffers seeking to stay on the payroll were either participants in illegal activities, such as leaking of classified documents and the weaponization of government, or observers of such activities.
What’s a new President to do?
A technique can be borrowed from the Honorable James R. Schlesinger — a pipe-smoking, Ph.D. economist who served in both Republican and Democrat Administrations. He served as Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, CIA Director, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of Energy. His tenure at the CIA was brief, only five months — from February 2, 1973 to July 2, 1973 — at which time he was moved on to be Secretary of Defense. However, during that brief time at the CIA, he faced the challenge of running an agency that had been badly politicalized, not unlike now.
George Washington University’s National Security Archive explains that upon arriving at the CIA, Schlesinger learned that “Watergate burglars E. Howard Hunt and James McCord (both veteran CIA officers) had cooperation from the Agency as they carried out ‘dirty tricks’ for President Nixon.” In response, on May 9, 1973, Director Schlesinger issued a directive which ordered:
all senior operating officials … to report to me immediately on any activities now going on, or that have gone on in the past, which might be construed to be outside the legislative charter of this Agency…. Anyone who has such information should call my secretary … and say that he wishes to talk to me about ‘activities outside CIA’s charter.’ [Emphasis added.]
All of these employees had taken an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States,” and Schlesinger believed that it was entirely reasonable to ask those employees to help clean up the Agency by reporting to him about violations of the law.
And the directive went even further to address future activities as well, ordering:
Any CIA employee who believes that he has received instructions which in any way appear inconsistent with the CIA legislative charter shall inform the Director of Central Intelligence immediately. [Emphasis added.]
By any standard, this was a man who was serious about his responsibilities. He took a “hands on” approach within his Agency. He directed employees to report on past activities. He offered to meet with every person with knowledge of violations of the CIA’s charter. He ordered employees to report on questionable activities. And, he provided a means for those employees to air their concerns at the highest level — with him personally.
“The Schlesinger Directive” eventually led to the collection of much information of wrongdoing and the collection of documents detailing illegal CIA activities. Many of these documents which were later released by the CIA, are now posted on a CIA website: “Widely known as the ‘Family Jewels,’ this document consists of almost 700 pages of responses from CIA employees to a 1973 directive from Director of Central Intelligence James Schlesinger….” (Emphasis added.)
If there is a better way to take control over politicized and rogue agencies — which describes most of what the Biden-Harris Administration has done to our government — I don’t know what it is. The Trump Administration doesn’t need to re-invent the wheel here. Director Schlesinger paved the way. This directive can be issued within and without the CIA as well. I urge my friends in the new Trump Administration to add this approach near the top of their list of reforms.
I would only suggest two modifications to The Schlesinger Directive. First, I would not make reporting voluntary, but would require each senior appointee to file a report detailing any knowledge of potentially illegal activities. Second, I would mandate that the report be filed under oath. If there are those in the Biden “leave-behind army” who would prefer to stonewall and coverup illegal government activities, I suspect the new Administration could get along very nicely without them.