Power is Temporary, the State is Forever
Why political activists need to be smart regardless of who's in power
Introduction: The Illusion of Safety
Many political activists assume that if their party controls the government, they are immune from scrutiny, infiltration, or legal jeopardy. After all, if "our guys" are in charge, why would law enforcement come after their own? The reality is far different. Political administrations may change, but law enforcement agencies, intelligence bureaus, and bureaucratic institutions operate independently of elected officials. If you’re a conservative, you might think that agencies like the FBI are now cleaned out and therefore are no longer actively seeking to infiltrate or disrupt your political activities.
It’s a dangerous assumption.
The story of Daniel King, a naval cryptanalyst who was subjected to coercive interrogation despite no concrete evidence against him, serves as a stark reminder that the machinery of law enforcement does not discriminate based on your membership in the “correct” groups.
The Case of Daniel King: A Lesson in State Power
In 1999, Petty Officer First Class Daniel M. King, a naval cryptanalyst, underwent a polygraph test as part of his security clearance process. Polygraphs aren’t considered gospel. According to the American Polygraph Association, “[i]n a real life setting an inconclusive result simply means the examiner is unable to render a definite diagnosis of truth or deception.” Yet, rather than dismissing the result, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) launched an aggressive investigation, accusing King of espionage.
King endured 26 days of relentless interrogation and repeated polygraphs, with sessions lasting up to 19 hours. He was kept in a variety of safehouses, with music blaring, phones ringing constantly, and relentless sleep deprivation. They denied him counsel, interrogated his wife and minor daughters, and engaged in all manner of evil. Under extreme psychological pressure, he eventually confessed to crimes he did not commit—an all-too-common outcome of coercive interrogation tactics. Later, he recanted, but the damage was done. He was held for over 500 days before finally being cleared, though his life and career were irrevocably damaged.
“But King wasn’t a political activist,” you might be saying. “The military is a whole different thing.” To counter that, I’ll ask two questions:
Did the agents and other personnel involved in this fiasco ever receive any disciplinary action?
Where do federal agencies love to recruit from?
The bottom line isn’t about whether someone is military or not, or even what King’s political leanings were. It’s about the basic premise that the government in all its forms will do anything to neutralize a perceived threat, even when it’s apparent to everyone else that the threat isn’t real.
“But he was exonerated,” is usually the next objection. “He even went on to sue.” Let’s think about this for a moment. Do you think that his vindication takes away the trauma he and his family experienced? Does it wipe out the more than 500 days he spent in the brig? Does it return his marriage to where it was? Does it fix his nightmares? Of course not. Exoneration doesn’t fix the problem, and it doesn’t unring the bell.
The State Does Not Serve Political Factions—It Serves Itself
Political leaders come and go, but law enforcement agencies remain. While the administration in power might influence certain high-profile investigations, the vast majority of everyday surveillance, infiltration, and prosecution happens beyond the reach of elected officials. Agencies like the FBI, ATF, and even local police forces operate on institutional inertia. Policies, tactics, and surveillance tools persist regardless of who is in office.
For conservative activists, this means that even if their side is in power today, they can still be investigated, arrested, or interrogated tomorrow. And when political tides shift, the precedents set under their leadership will be used against them. Sadly, the complacency that often infects the ‘winners’ in a given election cycle leads to learned laziness. Too many activists on the right rest on their laurels, thinking that they get a reprieve. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. If your side is in power, it’s time to work harder, better, and faster than ever before.
Infiltration Doesn’t Stop Just Because ‘Your Side’ Is in Power
One of the most effective tools of law enforcement is infiltration. Political movements—whether left-wing, right-wing, or somewhere in between—are routinely infiltrated by informants and undercover agents. The purpose of infiltration is not just to catch illegal activity, but to encourage it, to set traps, and to create legal justification for crackdowns.
[Note: I’ve written extensively on infiltration: how it works, how it’s done, and how to prevent it. Upgrading your subscription gives you access to all of it.]
History provides countless examples of this practice:
COINTELPRO: The FBI’s infamous program to infiltrate and disrupt political movements, including civil rights groups, anti-war activists, and even right-wing militias. Take note of the fact that both political camps were affected.
The Whitmer Kidnapping Plot: Several defendants in the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer argued that FBI informants played a major role in planning and encouraging illegal actions.
Federal Informants in Right-Wing Groups and Events: In recent years, multiple cases have emerged showing that law enforcement has embedded informants within conservative organizations, sometimes leading to charges based on actions that informants themselves came up with, encouraged, and played key roles in. This put even innocent people in danger, making them parties to their own infiltration and eventual arrest.
No matter who is in power, these tactics don’t stop. They are simply redirected toward the groups perceived as threats at any given moment. Too often, we are okay with that if the ‘enemy’ is the recipient of it. However, no party is in power forever, and we would do well to keep that in mind.
Cialdini’s Principles of Influence and Police Interrogations
The psychological tactics used in interrogations are not random; they are based on well-studied principles of influence, most notably those outlined by Robert Cialdini. Law enforcement agencies use these techniques to extract confessions and compliance.
Authority: “We know you’re guilty. The evidence is overwhelming.”
Social Proof: “Your friend already talked, why won’t you?”
Reciprocity: “If you cooperate, we’ll go easier on you.”
Commitment & Consistency: “You’ve already admitted to being there, why not just tell the whole story?”
Scarcity: “This is your only chance to make a deal before it’s too late.”
Liking: “Look, I’m on your side here, I just want to help you out.”
The belief that one is immune to interrogation techniques is itself a vulnerability.
If you want to see an interrogation master at work, check out this video. In the first 4 minutes, the detective uses all seven of the principles of influence, and if you stay to watch the whole thing, you’ll see that he does get a full confession. In this case, the person he was interviewing was guilty—but the techniques often work either way. This video explains the psychology behind false confessions, and how yes, even if you’ve done nothing wrong, you can be convinced to confess—not because you’re guilty, but because you’re a human being and psychology works.
The Tools of the State Will Be Used Against You Eventually
Even if you believe today that law enforcement is only targeting the "other side," history suggests that these tactics will eventually be used against your allies—or against you. The laws, surveillance programs, and enforcement mechanisms created under one administration do not disappear when the opposition takes power; they are inherited and often expanded.
For example:
The Patriot Act, passed under a Republican administration to “combat terrorism,” has since been used for extensive domestic surveillance under both Republican and Democratic administrations.
The militarization of police, justified in the name of public safety, has been turned against both left-wing and right-wing activists.
Social media monitoring programs, originally designed to track foreign threats, are now used to surveil domestic political movements of all stripes.
Awareness is the Only Protection
If you are politically active, never assume you are safe from law enforcement scrutiny. Political power is temporary; the mechanisms of surveillance, infiltration, and interrogation are permanent.
The story of Daniel King is a warning: A system that can turn on an innocent man based on an inconclusive polygraph is a system that can turn on anyone. Understanding these dynamics is the first step in protecting yourself. Ignorance and complacency are the greatest vulnerabilities in an era where the state’s tools of control remain in place, and it doesn’t matter who’s in the White House.