Politicians dub Audrey Hale manifesto 'blueprint on total destruction', blame FBI for stalling its release
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE: Numerous pieces of evidence were discovered by the investigators at Nashville shooter Audrey Hale's residence, but one of them has been kept under wraps. Authorities appear to be holding off on releasing Hale's manifesto.
A search warrant revealed that seven smartphones, two memoirs, five Covenant School yearbooks, 20 journals, five computers, a suicide note, and many other items written by Hale were taken from the home she shared with her parents. However, authorities have neglected to reveal a motive or any of the papers taken from Hale's home over a month after she shot and killed six people at the city's Covenant elementary school before being shot by police. Local politicians assert that Hale's manifesto is a "blueprint on total destruction" that the FBI is holding back from being released, according to New York Post.
RELATED ARTICLES
Micah Louwagie: Trans North Dakota pastor compares Audrey Hale to Jesus Christ and Holocaust victims
Audrey Hale's manifesto 'could maybe tell us a little bit'
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee) said that he was aware that the FBI was to blame for the delay, according to New York Post. He called the news "disappointing" and demanded that records be made available to members of Congress as well as those who are grieving.
Burchett claimed that the manifesto "could maybe tell us a little bit about what's going on inside of her head. I think that would answer a lot of questions," according to New York Post. Metro Nashville Council Member Courtney Johnston revealed that the FBI has already decided that the manifesto won't be released in its complete form.
'I don't need to read that'
Johnston said, "What I was told is, her manifesto was a blueprint on total destruction, and it was so, so detailed at the level of what she had planned. That document in the wrong person's hands would be astronomically dangerous," according to New York Post.
Johnston claimed that Hale's writings will eventually be made public in "parts," but she added that she believed "the vast, overwhelming majority of it" posed an unacceptable risk to the general public. She said, "I personally don't want to know the depths to which her psychosis reached," according to New York Post.
Johnston added, "When I'm told by an MNPD high-ranking official that it keeps him up at night, I'm going to defer to that person in that agency that I don't need to read that." MNPD is in charge of the investigation, however a spokesperson, Don Aaron, stated that the Hale-related evidence is currently "under analysis" by the FBI.
'We need to investigate why'
Rasmussen Reports conducted a survey of 971 people after the incident and found that 68% of them agreed that Hale's purported manifesto should be made available to the public, according to New York Post. Rep Andy Ogles (R-Tennessee) declared that if the documents are ultimately kept confidential "then we need to investigate why."
Additionally advocating for their release is Rep. Walter Hudson (R-Minnesota). He remembered speaking to people who had "increasing distrust with the FBI and with government agencies generally," according to New York Post.
Hudson stated, "One of the greatest threats to democracy or, as I would say, threats to the Constitutional Republic, is the erosion of trust in institutions. The FBI is one of those institutions. If you're going to wield power in a free country, then you have a responsibility to maintain the public's trust in that power – and the FBI needs to figure out how to do that," according to New York Post.
