Steve could only watch as Morin took the Hunt couple away.
In a legal sense, the CIA had no law enforcement power in the United States, so they couldn't make arrests.
But, again, the world isn't black and white. It's mostly gray, or you could even say it's all gray.
The CIA might not have law enforcement power in the US, but that didn't mean they couldn't make arrests.
Given enough time, they would put on FBI uniforms, grab their FBI badges, and then make the arrests.
After all, everything can be the FBI! But this time, because the mission came so suddenly and the target's location was so remote, they just went in wearing their own uniforms.
It was also completely fine to just grab them and run. As long as they weren't caught and reported, there wouldn't be any problems.
But if they were reported and caught with evidence... it would be just like the message Ethan received from the
IMF before every mission:
"Should any of you be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions."
Similarly, if the CIA's domestic arrests were exposed and became a big enough deal for Director Brown to step in, Brown would say at a press conference that they had no knowledge of it and that it was just the agents' personal
actions.
This was a classic and very useful way to create a scapegoat. Everyone knew it wasn't true, but no one could prove it, unless they had evidence of the CIA's command.
Now, all the CIA's agent lists had been stolen by Ethan.
The person in charge of this matter, Eugene, didn't dare tell anyone about such a serious security breach and just covered it up.
Otherwise, as soon as others found out, Eugene's career would be over. He might even have to go through the CIA's interrogation room and end up in prison.
The person in charge of the main data room had already been sent to a remote location to farm vegetables by Eugene and was unlikely to ever return.
Now, Eugene's only goal was to get the agent list back
from Ethan, make it seem as if the list had never been stolen, and eliminate any trace of the incident.
So, this mission led by Steve was completely classified!
In this situation, Eugene would never let departments like the FBI get involved in a joint operation.
The fact that he had fabricated the story about the Hunt couple being drug syndicate leaders was something that wouldn't hold up under scrutiny!
Eugene was now like a cat on a hot tin roof, jumping up and down, completely ignoring the rules. But this also meant that Morin's actions were completely unhindered.
If the CIA had been working with an organization that had real law enforcement power in the US, like the FBI, Morin would have had a very difficult time taking the people away, or it would have required a lot more effort.
But now, the CIA was secretly trying to make an arrest, while Morin had the full support of Chris and had successfully obtained the tax records and a warrant for the Hunts' arrest...
In this matter, the CIA was acting illegally and abusing its power, while the IRS was acting legally.
How could they fight? Their positions and authority weren't even on the same level!
After putting the Hunt couple in his car, Morin uncuffed them, then started the car and led his team away.
"O-officer..." Clough Hunt tried his best to explain himself. "Did you make a mistake? I'm not a drug syndicate leader, and I don't evade taxes..."
"Mr. Hunt, we both know whether you evade taxes or not," Morin smiled, handing the document to Clough.
"Some of the things in the document are made up, but some of them are true... but of course, I don't intend to pursue it."
"Officer? What... what do you mean?" Clough was confused.
"You have a good son, Mr. Hunt. He and I have made a small deal, so I'm here to protect you for him," Morin explained.
"The CIA wanted to use you to threaten him, so they fabricated evidence that you were drug traffickers to arrest you."
"What?" Clough was shocked.
At the same time.
"What?" Eugene was shocked.
"What did you say?" Eugene demanded. "The IRS took them?"
"Yes, sir," Steve replied. "They had more detailed files and a warrant, so I couldn't complete the mission."
"Didn't I tell you to bring them back no matter what?" Eugene asked.
Then, he immediately realized that the IRS's power was not on the same level as the CIA's and that he had asked a stupid question.
He quickly changed the subject.
"What was their excuse for taking them?"
"They said the Hunt couple were suspected of tax evasion," Steve said.
"They also said they had been investigating the couple for a year and were certain they weren't drug syndicate leaders, and that we should reinvestigate..."
Steve was feeling very frustrated. It was the first time he had a gun to his chest and was completely unable to fight back!
Because he knew that he was in the wrong here. If he
died, he wouldn't even get a proper funeral.
Instead, his superiors would label him a "criminal who used the CIA's name to act on his own."
In this situation, Steve, of course, chose not to fight. If he fought, no matter what the outcome, he was in for a bad time. So it was better to just let them go.
"F***, f***!" Eugene hung up the phone and flew into a rage.
If there were anyone nearby, they might have thought he was having a rabies attack.
"Why are all my subordinates so useless! The only competent one, Ethan, has now become a traitor and stolen the CIA agent list!"
So, what could he do to threaten Ethan and make sure Ethan knew about it, without anyone else getting suspicious?
Eugene racked his brain. Going to the IRS to get the people back was impossible. The IRS's power was far greater than the CIA's, and Eugene's act of sending his men to arrest Ethan's parents absolutely could not be exposed.
Otherwise, people would investigate why he did it, and if Director Brown found out, Eugene knew he would be finished.
A director trying to arrest his subordinate's parents?
That would lead to an investigation.
And if there was an investigation, the fact that the list was stolen would be exposed, and Eugene would be fired and get a new job in prison.
Before Eugene could come up with a viable plan, there was a knock on his office door.
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