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A Century of Surveillance: An Interactive Timeline Of FBI Investigations (muckrock.com)

"Over a century of fear and filing cabinets" at the FBI has been exposed through six years of Freedom of Information Act requests. And now MuckRock founder (and long-time Slashdot reader) v3rgEz writes: MuckRock recently published its 100th look into historical FBI files, and to celebrate they've also compiled a timeline of the FBI's history. It traces the rise and fall of J. Edgar Hoover as well as some of the Bureau's more questionable investigations into famous figures ranging from Steve Jobs to Hannah Arendt. Read the timeline, or browse through all of MuckRock's FBI FOIA work.
The FBI interviewed 29 people about Steve Jobs (after he was appointed to the President's Export Council in 1991), with several citing his "past drug use," and several individuals also saying Jobs would "distort reality."

55 comments

  1. Why shouldn't the FBI be on my phone? by mmell · · Score: 1

    They're on everybody else's!

  2. President(TM)s Export Council by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can't tell if that's a unicode bug, or if Trump is going to trademark "President" and start charging royalties.

    1. Re: President(TM)s Export Council by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He's already got the patent on inventing "unpresidented" this week.

      I had to pay 99 cents just post I, and it'll cost you four bucks to read it.

  3. Yet not Trump? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And yet FBI didn't bother to read Trumps stuff? And he can just go into the whitehouse, take control of the executive branch and he hasn't even put his assets into a blind trust (not that Trump Casino Panama or any 'Trump' branded property could ever be 'blind'ly held)!

    Go read:

    1. The accounts he's disclosed as part of tax disputes (real).
    2. The accounts he's disclosed as required by foreign laws (e.g. UK Companies house), also real.
    3. The partial reveal of company borrowing in his Election Disclosure Filing (borrowing from banks will be real, but the earnings numbers are lies).
    4. Search the names of his foreign coinvestors, and read their ad-hoc claims of investments in Trump 'properties'.
    5. Pull the revPar numbers for similar properties to get an idea of he true (non-Trump-lying) revenue.

    You quickly find out that Trump co, is a Madoff style ponzi scheme.

    Even a little common sense tells you the problem. e.g. he borrows yet another $19 million against Trump National Doral last year.
    His attorney when fighting a tax demand says the property is worth only $75 million. A highest estimate puts it at $96 million.
    His borrowing against it is $125 million (1.6x the actual value his own legal team claim!).
    HE BROKE AND OVERMORTGAGED.
    The income claimed in his election filing for that is ridiculous 10x the actual RevPAR of similar golf resorts (i.e. a lie).
    So the mortgage profit is bigger than the real profit.
    IF HE HAD MONEY HE'D LEND IT TO HIMSELF. SO HE'S BROKE.

    Most of his properties have issues, if he sold them at best price, paid off his total borrowing, he'd be very very bankrupt, and there would be a lot of outside investors whose assets had been used as capital against unrelated properties.

    He needs to keep pulling in new investors and making new projects to fund the debts on the previous projects. And he needs to do it in secret so the investors don't see where their money flows.

    1. Re:Yet not Trump? by slickwillie · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Seems like Trump is uniquely qualified to run the (trillions in debt) USA.

    2. Re:Yet not Trump? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While such a move would be "unpresidented" (to use Trump's term), a president may pardon himself for criminal wrongdoing. He knows the dominoes will fall eventually. Running for president was his only hope for a Get Out Of Jail Free card when the fraud comes to light.

    3. Re:Yet not Trump? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A highest estimate puts it at $96 million.
      His borrowing against it is $125 million (1.6x the actual value his own legal team claim!).
      HE BROKE AND OVERMORTGAGED.

      Assuming the first two sentences are true, then the third is still false. As long as he can borrow more money and keep his creditors happy nothing is going wrong. Even better that $125 million is an investment you don't want to loose, so there is a good chance that things will give him money in the future so they never have to actually tank a loss.

    4. Re:Yet not Trump? by Nastee · · Score: 0

      Are you trying to say he's some kind of con artist?

    5. Re:Yet not Trump? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      He can't do worse than the last two presidents. Combined they managed to quadruple the public and private debt.

    6. Re:Yet not Trump? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Where's the links AC? I see a lot of talking points and CTR innuendo, but no citeable facts.

    7. Re:Yet not Trump? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The loans reduces the appraised value of the property thus reducing the tax liability on it. That's a tax avoidance strategy hardly unique to Trump.

      Here's a good Wall Street Journal article on how Trump goes from near bankruptcy (caused by the stock market crash and global recession of 1987) in 1990 to wiping out that debt in 5 years. Basically Trump avoided bankruptcy where other big time New York real estate developers failed.

      http://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-and-his-debts-a-narrow-escape-1451868915

  4. Re:They don't investigate the real threats by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They should also investigate foreign threats operating in the US

    They can't, because the biggest foreign threat is about to become their boss.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  5. Clowns with weapons. by whoever57 · · Score: 1

    The FBI are a bunch of clowns. It's history is littered with investigations that arise simply from misunderstanding the culture of the time. Perhaps others arise from jealousy of intelligent and knowledgeable people.

    Unfortunately, the FBI is very dangerous: it has weapons that can be used to destroy people's lives.

    And then we have the fact that Hoover used the FBI to help Reagan get elected and then, this year, Comey provided the final push to get Trump elected.

    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    1. Re:Clowns with weapons. by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Informative

      And then we have the fact that Hoover used the FBI to help Reagan get elected and then, this year, Comey provided the final push to get Trump elected.

      That was a pretty amazing feat, given that J Edgar Hoover died in 1972.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    2. Re:Clowns with weapons. by chromaexcursion · · Score: 1

      Hoover from beyond the grave, good point.
      Comey being a Trump shill, he is. That's obvious. And, perhaps an unwitting, Russian shill. He is.

    3. Re:Clowns with weapons. by whoever57 · · Score: 2

      Sorry, Nixon.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    4. Re:Clowns with weapons. by whoever57 · · Score: 2

      No, actually, I am going back to my original statement. J. Edgar gave assistance to Reagan during his career, which ultimately resulted in Reagan becoming President. The connection between the assistance and the election wasn't so direct as with Comey and Trump.

      --
      The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
    5. Re: Clowns with weapons. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was a pretty amazing feat, given that J Edgar Hoover died in 1972.

      Ah, but Reagan had already been elected Governor Governorâ of California and before that President of the Screen Actor's Guild.

    6. Re:Clowns with weapons. by AHuxley · · Score: 1

      Its more the tasking and vast changes to the US domestic data collection. From all the classic crimes over state lines, to total control of onion routing, computer crimes to old Soviet agents, cults, faiths, massive criminal illegal immigrant communities been given party political cover and gov access.
      Its hard to collect data and use informants in faith groups that have US party political cover demanding a policy of inclusion. The risks of a faith or cult based fifth column or Quisling been allowed to work within US gov structures protecting or reporting on US law enfacement efforts is a huge risk.
      To hire staff who will never be loyal to the USA due to their faith, based on some party political fantasy of "inclusion" or demanding unskilled, never vetted migrants or released criminals get into federal gov jobs?
      Then the US faces the real threat of friendly and allied nations collecting data or operating within the USA. The UK had to get very active in the USA to stop the IRA getting US mil grade hardware and funding support in the 1980's. Did the FBI know or stop the UK gov/mil from hunting down Irish funding and logistical support in the USA? Did the USA even have the domestic skill sets to detect, observe and counter expert UK gov/mil operations deep in the USA?
      Or did too many in the US support the Irish cause to make any such investigations a staffing and security challenge for the FBI?
      So between watching over any crime that crosses state lines, the internet, cults, faiths, party political demands to be inclusive, the FBI is swamped with party political requests and epic staff trust issues. Every other nation and their cults, faiths are trying to pack the FBI with their second and third generation deep penetration agents to climb the ranks for the FBI over decades.
      Just securing its own files and case loads is a huge effort from classic spies and the rest of the world's spies/cult members posing as FBI staff with needed language or computer skills.
      The funding mix the US is also tight given all the other agencies and US mil/for profit contractor groups that want the FBI's domestic role, case loads and budgets.
      Not many other nations are so top heavy with other agencies, think tanks, contractors, ex mil and other private sector staff all trying to profit from domestic law enforcement.

      --
      Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
    7. Re:Clowns with weapons. by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 0

      Sorry, Nixon.

      So Nixon helped Reagan get elected . . . ?

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    8. Re:Clowns with weapons. by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 0

      The connection between the assistance and the election wasn't so direct as with Comey and Trump.

      So Reagan helped Comey and Trump get elected . . . ?

      I'm anxiously awaiting your next clarification. This is getting really interesting . . .

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  6. How i got fired a lot? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They said i distorted reality a lot...

  7. FBI Overthrew one President. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder if anyone has considered that the FBI forced Richard Nixon to resign by feeding reporters information anonymously. "Deep Throat", it turns out, was the assistant FBI director. That rather important piece of information was kept from the public for almost 50 years. Long enough that a movie got made that portrayed Woodward and Bernstein as heroic reporters instead of pawns of the FBI. Why were they investigating Steve Jobs at all/ The answer is to get whatever dirt they could collect in case he ever posed a threat to their political agenda. The reality is the FBI has always been an authoritarian political organization.

    1. Re:FBI Overthrew one President. by chromaexcursion · · Score: 1

      Post this as a registered acct, and someone might read it. I regularly get offered to moderate, so I read at -1. the default is 1. anonymous is 0. Few will read it. You may be correct, I'm not in a fact check mood.

    2. Re:FBI Overthrew one President. by geekmux · · Score: 1

      ...You may be correct, I'm not in a fact check mood.

      Fake News is on the rise? People believe everything they read? FBI does whatever the hell they want and no one cares?

      Gosh, I can't imagine how that happens...

    3. Re:FBI Overthrew one President. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shut up you CIA scumbag.

    4. Re:FBI Overthrew one President. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yeah, the FBI "overthrew" a corrupt-to-his-core Nixon and his cronies in the same way that Russia "hacked" the election by exposing a corrupt-to-her-core Hillary Clinton and her campaign cronies, in-the-tank MSM, and DNC. How'd they do it? By revealing the truth.

    5. Re:FBI Overthrew one President. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Why were they investigating Steve Jobs at all/ The answer is to get whatever dirt they could collect in case he ever posed a threat to their political agenda.

      No, you utter twit. The FBI was performing a standard background check on Jobs in 1991 because he was a possible appointment to the the President's Export Council. All appointees are vetted like this.

      How does this shit get modded +insightful

    6. Re:FBI Overthrew one President. by SoftwareArtist · · Score: 1

      In the case of Steve Jobs, it sounds like they were just doing their job. He was appointed to a presidential council. Of course they did a background check on him. That's just standard procedure.

      --
      "I'm too busy to research this and form an educated opinion, but I do have time to tell everyone my uninformed opinion."
  8. Are you kidding? by mmell · · Score: 2
    Publicly, the FBI is attempting to retain at least the appearance of neutrality. Privately, Herr Drumpf is the FBI's wet dream come true!

    With our current President-erect's publicly stated attitudes, do you think the FBI's investigative powers will grow or shrink over the next four to eight years? What, with that pesky ACLU and its [redacted] lawyers put in their place, I suspect the FBI will be more than busy enough to justify any budget increase they may need to keep us safe.

    1. Re:Are you kidding? by SoftwareArtist · · Score: 2

      do you think the FBI's investigative powers will grow or shrink over the next four to eight years?

      Who was the last president who actually shrank government surveillance? We all thought Obama would, but he didn't. I doubt Clinton would have either. Maybe Sanders would have. Mostly it's not a question of whether it will grow or shrink, just how much it will grow.

      --
      "I'm too busy to research this and form an educated opinion, but I do have time to tell everyone my uninformed opinion."
  9. You've underestimated them very badly. by mmell · · Score: 3, Insightful
    The FBI is as stupid as the dullest of them - and as keen as the smartest among them. They may be somewhat malign, but they are not "clowns", and they (arguably) provide a net good. I suspect that the vast majority of FBI agents are well-intentioned, highly educated professionals. Their collective mistakes tend to be real lulus, and they've made more than a few of them; it seems to me wiser to seek to improve them than it is to denigrate and antagonize them.

    To rephrase: if the FBI isn't the premier law enforcement agency we would desire, it'll be more effective to improve them than it is to replace them - and regardless of their blunders, we really can't do without them.

  10. He borrows, and Forbes does the math - $3.7B by raymorris · · Score: 1

    Trump does use mortgages and other forms of "other people's money" to build things. Heck, the owners of the Empire State Building GAVE him a 50% interest, gave him half the building, in exchange for nothing but his promise to use his knowledge and experience make it more profitable.

    Forbes magazine has been doing the math on Trump's net worth (assets minus liabilities) for 35 years. As you may know, they do a list of wealthiest people very year, and they've gotten reasonably good at it. According to Forbes, Trump's net worth, the value of his assets minus what he owes, is $3.7 billion.
    http://www.forbes.com/donald-t...

  11. what !! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Steve jobs lie !!!
    Never...

  12. Re:They don't investigate the real threats by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And they pulled out all the stops to get him there.

  13. Re:They don't investigate the real threats by scatbomb · · Score: 0

    Who, pray tell?

  14. Re: They don't investigate the real threats by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Queen Elizabeth II.

  15. It takes a Hatian village... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shhhh. They don't know how capitalism works or that you can start a business, get funding, and not be liable if it goes bankrupt. Or that you might have to start 10 businesses to find one that works, though of course the odds are better for people who have been successful before, who know what they're doing and who have connections.

    They hear 'bankruptcy' and don't know if it's chapter 7 or 11, or maybe they assume that some personal bankruptcy they know of is relevant. They see $10 million dollar failures and ignore $1 billion dollar successes and they have no idea how many of one it takes to hit another, nor how investors expect a lot of businesses to fail or otherwise not return. And they certainly don't get why some investors would actually prefer that you went under rather than being only moderately successful. To be honest, that one is pretty hard to understand, but it's definitely true and it has quite a bit to do with their business model, but I digress.

    The thing is, he runs real businesses. And yeah, any business of a certain size will have random lawsuits, etc. to deal with. He's not running a 'charity' foundation that pays for his daughter's wedding and gets all kinds of funds from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, nor do they play that game where they recycle the same donation money around in circles, skimming off their administration fees without actually doing much of anything. Just ask Haiti about that one...

    I bet you don't get his 'joke' at the dinner about that, though. I put joke in quotes because it wasn't funny. It wasn't supposed to be, either. It'll be important later. You just haven't caught up yet.

    1. Re: It takes a Hatian village... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Shhh...you apparently don't know that other than the occasional mild successes the only way to get rich with that stuff is to ALREADY BE RICH. Otherwise the success of capitalism statistically is no better than dart throwing.

      You don't get rich by working hard. Lots of people work hard and aren't. You don't get rich by being smart. Same thing. You get rich by family connections and having a pool of wealth to start with. Sure there are outliers you can point at, just like lotteries and casinos love posting pics of winners with the "this can happen to you!" meme. And in fact it could. It just probably won't, no matter what you do or how good you are, without family ties and wealth or just dumb luck.

    2. Re: It takes a Hatian village... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually you just have to take big risks with even bigger payoffs. Yes, that's a lot easier when you're already rich, no argument there, but it's not like nobody else has done it. If anything, it's a better time now than ever before to be able to do such a thing. The problem is taking smart risks and setting things up so that you're not screwed if you fail. That part isn't easy by any means.

  16. Reality altering drugs by Shimbo · · Score: 2

    The FBI thought that Steve Jobs had taken drugs that altered other people's perception of reality? Have I woken up in a Philip K Dick story?

    1. Re:Reality altering drugs by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      The FBI thought that Steve Jobs had taken drugs that altered other people's perception of reality? Have I woken up in a Philip K Dick story?

      No, Steve Jobs took other peoples' drugs that altered the FBI's perception of reality.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  17. Proud to Have FBI File on Me by xtsigs · · Score: 3, Interesting

    There was a time that some of felt we weren't doing anything worthwhile unless the FBI had a file on us. We were young and stupid, but that didn't make us wrong.

    1. Re:Proud to Have FBI File on Me by ebvwfbw · · Score: 1

      How do you know if you have a file or not? ..."We were young and stupid, but that didn't make us wrong." Didn't make you right.

    2. Re:Proud to Have FBI File on Me by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      You can use the FOIA to request the records on yourself with the excuse of correcting any errors.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    3. Re:Proud to Have FBI File on Me by ebvwfbw · · Score: 1

      I wondered if he knew. I know I have one. It's about 30 years old as an applicant file.

  18. Re: They don't investigate the real threats by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Nice political stab but you almost got to the truth anyway. The real threats to this country are the rich and megacorporations, and of course the FBI spends zero time with either unless of course they happen to be the victim of a crime. In those cases the FBI is all over stuff that would be ignored if it happened to any of us.

  19. FBI Needs Checks and Balances by BrendaEM · · Score: 1

    They are a rouge political organization.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/c/BrendaEM
    1. Re:FBI Needs Checks and Balances by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are a rouge political organization.

      "Rouge"? You're obliquely calling the FBI a communist organization? Try "Rogue"; you can verify the correct spelling on the latest Star Wars-themed movie posters.

    2. Re:FBI Needs Checks and Balances by q4Fry · · Score: 1

      They are a rouge political organization.

      The federal boys in bleu.

    3. Re:FBI Needs Checks and Balances by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      They had red cheeks...

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
  20. Hillary no longer needs to be jailed by Tenebrousedge · · Score: 1

    You idiot. We don't need Hillary to be corrupt any more, Trump won the election. Can't you keep the party line straight from one day to the next?

    --
    Those who advocate genocide deserve every protection afforded by law, and none afforded by common human decency.