This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Monday, April 13, 2015.

I'm Caleb Brown.

When federal agencies stopped what they called a terrorist ring in Newburgh, New York, the headlines generated seemed legitimate.

Filmm filmmaker David Hiabronner tells a different story in his film The Newburgh Sting.

We spoke today about the film and what it tells us about how the feds investigate

terrorist plots. John Mueller here at the Cato Institute likes to refer to

something he calls the self-licking ice cream cone.

And he's talking about bureaucratic agencies,

both law enforcement and otherwise, that need a purpose, even when their purpose is not quite as serious

or as broad as they might have you believe and what you're presenting seems to be an example

of an agency that is doing its best to have a reason.

To exist, yes.

This is more of even a hot fudge Sunday, I think, as far as the FBI is concerned.

It was a big deal for them.

In our film called The Newburgh Sting, we document this case that the FBI has taken around

to Congress and before the public saying that they've protected America from a threat

from four Muslims who wanted simply to buy weapons from the FBI and

we're then going to bomb synagogues north of New York City, talk about a

politically incendiary choice of target, and also use a stinger missile to take

down planes over Stewart Airport.

I mean it sounds terrifying and I was in New York City when this case went down and I believed

the story.

...