A CHINESE SENIOR COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBER RUNS INTERPOL? WAIT….WHAT?

            INTERPOL, for decades, one of the most respected law enforcement agencies in the world. For two years now, it’s leader has been a Chinese Senior Communist Party Member. Now, I know in the world of 24/7/365/ tabloid news, it’s not hard to have important stories not see the coverage they should, but really…………….how did this one happen? Does the world typically follow who is elected the President of INTERPOL? No. Should it? Well, if the Chinese are going to buy their way into running the so called “International Police Agency, then yes…..yes….perhaps people should take notice.

            How would you like to be a Chinese Dissident, not just in China, but anywhere in the world and know this guy is the head of INTERPOL? Yes, I know, he has a 40 yr record of being in law enforcement, but that was in China and I would go out on a limb here and state that means something much different in China than it does in the US or even Europe. How did he get in this position? Most will probably say, “ He has an impeccable record”. I don’t know the guy, but my Spider Senses tell me the Chinese government would not send someone there that was not, “useful” to them……come to think of it…..what country wouldn’t?  Is there a difference? You bet there is. In the US, a person may go over to that job and most levels inside the US government wouldn’t think twice, with the exception  the perhaps the IC. China? Now, that’s a completely different story. Don’t know who the voting members were that put Mr. Hongwei in power, but you can bet the “deals” / money / to help win those votes was part of the process. Is Mr. Hongwei an “Agent” for the Chinese Government? Let me reshape that question. How could he not be?

Exposure:

            I know the argument will be, “ just because he’s the President of the organization, that doesn’t mean he has access to critical, criminal cases. He’s more of an administrative figurehead and doesn’t s get exposed to day to day cases”.  If you take that approach, I have some Swamp Land in Arizona for sale.  As a guy who wore a gun and a badge for a living, let me give you one saying to live by….well….one of many! “ Major Cases have Major Attention”. For most working level Cops, that’s a nice way of saying, if you’re working something important, then your “Bosses” are all over you and want to know everything. If that case has political stink on it, It’s not really even your case at that point. I have a story about a French Captain in Tirana  Albania that I will tell some other time, just to make my point.

            Let’s take a dose of reality here. What information was this guy in a position to channel back to China? Does anyone think the Counter Intelligence Community didn’t set up a “process” when they learned this Senior Chinese Communist Party Member was becoming the President of INTERPOL? If not, you really don’t know how the world works. Mr. Hongwei is missing and the Chinese Government isn’t saying anything? Still think he was just a regular guy who happen to win the job of the International Police Agency? He went home, why, is a good starting point, and now, no one has heard out of him. This honest John must have gotten lost somewhere? Or……or……his real Bosses have him. Why would they do that? What could he have done to make him go home and step on to the plastic covered carpet? What did he do? What did he not do? What would be a great way to have Mr. Hongwei removed from his position? Could someone or some agency with three letters allow him to pass bad scoop? Did someone paint a picture of him playing his Bosses for fools? Is he being “interviewed” or is he sleeping with the Fishes?

            Mr. Hongwei could be a standup guy and perhaps the only thing someone has against him is rumor?  Perhaps the issue here is a paranoid Boss? What he has done or has not done probably doesn’t matter. Perception rules the day in this world and someone’s perception was he needed to come home for an “interview”, without telling anyone why. The rumor is, he’s under investigation and that’s the rumor in the “nonclassified” world…called the “White World”. You can rest assured, the “Black World” had a better understanding of what has taken place and it has nothing to do with his job performance, unless you admit his real job was to funnel information.

 INTERPOL is connected with several of the world’s major law enforcement agencies. What has been their approach to INTERPOL since Mr. Hongwei showed up? Just how much information sharing has there been? Yep, this story jumped up on the news today, but only for a few hours. In the US, it’s all about another guy and his High School Year Book. Something tells me, this story is far….far bigger than the media understands, but then again, the media doesn’t care unless they can blame Trump.