On Thursday Ted Cruz grilled FBI Director Christopher Wray over FBI training material that lists patriotic symbols as evidence of violent militia extremism and took particular umbrage at the inclusion of the Gonzales battle flag.
“I will self-report right now that every day in the Senate I wear my boots that have the Gonzalez battle flag on the back of them,” as he slammed his boot on the desk.
Cruz said he was “particularly struck,” as a Texan, because the flag is a source of pride for many Texans. The stark black and white iconography depicts a simple cannon with the words “come and take it” emblazoned above it.
According to Ammo, the flag was designed in honor of the Texan city of Gonzalez declaring independence from Mexico in 1835. The city was given the cannon by the Mexican government to fight off Comanche raids, but refused to return the weapon after the city decided to separate. When the Mexican government wanted it back, the message the city sent in response was simply, “come and take it.”
Cruz’s questioning of Wray was part of a larger investigation into the origins of a leaked FBI document that listed numerous symbols, historic references, common phrases, and military networks that are historically patriotic as evidence of “Militia Violent Extremists,” or MVE.
Cruz said the FBI has been “weaponized and politicized” by marking these icons as aligned with MVE or commonly used by “Anti-Government or Anti-Authority Violent Extremists.”
The document uncovered by Project Veritas said, “The following symbols are used by Anti-Government or Anti-Authority Violent Extremists, specifically Militia Violent Extremists. MVE symbols are often found on propaganda, online platforms, memes, merchandise, group logos, flags, tattoos, uniforms, etc. Widespread use of symbols and quotes from American history, especially the Revolutionary War, exists within MVE networks, Historic and contemporary military themes are common for MVE symbols.”
“What are y’all doing? This makes no sense,” Cruz said to Wray over the new categorization of the historically patriotic symbols.
The document also lists a number of historic symbols, including the Gadsden Flag, the Liberty Tree, the Betsy Ross Flag, as well as Revolutionary War imagery from the American Revolution that gave the nation its freedom.
“Included on this list is the Betsy Ross flag. Now that’s fairly remarkable that the Betsy Ross flag, in the FBI’s indication, is indicative of militia violent extremism – because among other people who have been publicly alongside the Betsy Ross flag; we have President Barack Obama, who was sworn in directly underneath two Betsy Ross flags,” Cruz told Wray. Cruz then reminded Wray that the Gadsden Flag can be currently found on Virginia license plates.
Wray’s response to Cruz was, “Senator, I’m not familiar with that particular document you have behind you.”
“Director,” Cruz replied, “you don’t include things like Antifa, you don’t include things like Black Lives Matter. Instead, you identify patriotic Americans as a suspect.”
This article was originally published at The Post Millennial, a part of the Human Events Media Group.
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“I am Christopher Wray, the FBI is the gestapo / stasi. The FBI will arrest all of you Americans who are Conservative”. Yep Chris Wray, we Conservatives want the border secure, we Conservatives want law and order, we Conservatives do not take drugs, we do not murder babies in the womb, but we Conservatives are the real threat, right “Chrissy”???????? Hey Chrissy, will the FBI arrest those of us who fly the American flag, because we are then a threat to the Country?????
HOW INEPT must he be, to be the HEAD, and not know a damn thing about what goes on?!
The FBI has become a political weapon of the treasonous, destructive, immoral, unethical, socialist Democrat Party.
The reign of the Socialist Democrat Party State Dictatorship is just getting started.
The “Socialist Democrat Party State” political officers, Gestapo, Woke and Cancel Culture are just getting started.
You will obey, be loyal and support the policies of the “Socialist Democrat Party State” or you will be classified as “Enemies of the State” and “Domestic Terrorists”.
The FBI declared parents who voiced objections to their children being taught the racist “critical race theory” at school board meetings as “domestic terrorists”. 🙁 🙁 🙁
FBI now equals FUBAR,,,,common Patriotic military language in WWII.
Hence why say SCORCH the entire org, to the ground.
Ted Cruz is on the FBI ‘Watch List’; Chris Wray has no knowledge. The Obama cancer continues to metastasize in our Federal Government…
Just like you can bet, EVERYONE on this site, is on one of those lists too.
Wray, another biden SHIFFHEAD!
FBI Director Christopher Wray showed the epitome of COVER YOUR REAR END. What a useless piece of trash.
He has GOT to be the dumbest man alive. he wouldn’t use THAT word[Yes or No] response request by Sen blackburn’s question. he doesn’t know anything about the list Cruz showed, he can’t comment on a finished investigation. by his metric my 12 year old grandson knows more than the FBI and it’s useless director. I hope whoever gets in pulls the rug out from under the man who knows nothing. I’d love to see him join Comey better yet jail.
Exactly. HOW DID this ninconpoop become the DIRECTOR?
FBI Director Christopher Wray is not stupid, he is corrupt and dishonest just like his treasonous socialist Democrat Party and its members.
Remember –
By Terence P. Jeffrey | September 2, 2016 (CNSNews.com)
– “In a July 2 interview with the Federal Bureau of Investigation about her email practices, use of a personal email server, and specific emails she sent and received as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton told her questioners, as the FBI summarized it, that she “could not recall,” “did not recall,” “did not remember” or “had no recollection” 41 times.”
“To believe Clinton’s testimony to the FBI under oath, would be to be on the intellectual level of a mentally challenged squirrel, and that is being unkind to the squirrel.”
“The document also lists……as well as Revolutionary War imagery from the American Revolution that gave the nation its freedom.”
I think you mean The War of Independence. The colonies never attempted to wrest control of England from The Crown.
“Wray’s response to Cruz was, “Senator, I’m not familiar with that particular document you have behind you.”
How they plead ignorance when confronted with their own self-incriminating devices. “They’re not familiar with”—“they have no knowledge of”—“they’re not aware of”—and invariably it is the people at the top who should have such knowledge—and probably do.
The stupidity virus is alive and well and its victims think it is a badge of honor.
If i was cruz i’d have said “IF YOU ARE That ignorant of what goes on in the organization YOU HOLD< THEN why shouldn't we fire you immediately for GROSS INCOMPETENCE?!"
BLM and Antifa can burn and loot, even murder, and they are considered “grassroots” by the Libs, given free license to do what they do, even to where our current VP set up go fund me accounts to pay for the bail of the few who were actually arrested.
Unaffiliated looters can shoplift stores out of business $900 at at time, but from the look of it, they have no hesitation to go over that limit.
Thugs can attack people on the street for sport, including Law Enforcement Officers, with impunity, and again, even if they are arrested, they are out the next day, if not hours later. It’s just a procedural inconvenience for them.
But parents who want educational accountability and a say so in their children’s education are labeled domestic terrorists?
People who wear clothes or pins depicting Patriotic symbols, like Our Flag, are depicted as racists and domestic terrorists?
If you differ in your opinion with anyone on the Left you’re a racist homophobe and a domestic terrorist?
And the rest, I know everyone here is well aware of…
This backward and anti-Patriot, anti-American thinking has got to stop. Now.
We need to draw the line: You’ve come this far. No farther! And while you’re at it, Back Off! Shut Up! This is a Country of the People, and We are the People, and we demand those of you we voted into office to get back to the business of serving and protecting US!
“Unaffiliated looters can shoplift stores out of business $900 at at time, but from the look of it, they have no hesitation to go over that limit.
Thugs can attack people on the street for sport, including Law Enforcement Officers, with impunity, and again, even if they are arrested, they are out the next day, if not hours later. It’s just a procedural inconvenience for them.”
Every once in a while, in spite of the government’s best efforts, justice prevails.
https://www.complex.com/life/charges-dropped-against-nyc-bodega-owner-fatally-stabbed-customer
Yes. That was a refreshing and just conclusion for that bodega owner, poor man, mishandled by the DA who gives thugs licence to harm, but wants to throw the book at the common civilian trying to survive the chaos they have created for us.
I hope a lawyer comes forward and he sues the city over this. In sober times it would be a slam-dunk, open and shut case.
“Come and take it” was the Texans’ English translation of what Leonidas, Spartan King and anti-government Militia Violent Extremist, said to Persian King Xerxes at Thermopylae when Xerxes told him if he commanded his greatly outnumbered army to lay down their weapons, they could go free, “MOLON LABE!” The Spartans died to a man, but with their sandals on.
Excellent historical explanation which I was unaware of. But I only heard of the Gonzales Flag yesterday, and wonder why I didn’t hear of it or know of it before…
Or if I did, did I forget it in my half-life brain? I must confess, between surviving and conquering a crippling stroke and being elderly, I know I’m forgetting things. But I continue to try to learn (or re-learn) every day, and I keep finding out things that I realized I used to know.
But this feels new, and I wish I’d known it before.
So. Well done. Thanks.
The Gonzales flag references an incident in October of 1835 when the despot Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna became concerned about the intentions of all the American immigrants in Texas and ordered the Mexican Army to recover all the small cannon which had been loaned to several colony settlements for protection against Indian raids. A company of lancers was sent north from San Antonio de Bexar, the capital of the Mexican state of Coahuila-Texas, to Gonzales to get their cannon. It was very small, able to fire a shot about 3 inches in diameter. The townspeople had forewarning and decided to make their line of defense at the river ford as they were on the north bank of the local river, which they did with the cannon loaded and ready. Some women in the town hurriedly decided to make a flag and all they had to work with was a white bedsheet and black charcoal from a fireplace. On the sheet, they drew an image of the cannon and under it they lettered the motto, “Come and Take It.” When the lancers arrived, they were met with a warning shot from the cannon and, seeing that they were badly outnumbered by the townsmen, they returned to San Antonio empty-handed. The town still celebrates the event every October. The “battlefield” is now a city park. Who says that civilians don’t need a cannon?
Nice history lesson.. Thanks.
“Director,” Cruz replied, “you don’t include things like Antifa, you don’t include things like Black Lives Matter.
Exactly !!
Exactly!