The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry

vanished, leaving almost no record of their existence. Hale’s right about one thing. It’s doubtful America would be here except for privateers.”
    “I admit,” Daniels said, “that I never knew just how much these opportunists did for us. A lot of brave and honest men took to privateering. They gave their lives, and obviously Washington felt an obligation toward them. But our merry band today isn’t quite that noble. They can call themselves what they want, but they’re pirates, pure and simple. Incredibly, though, the 1793 Congress sanctioned their existence. I bet there aren’t too many Americans who know that the Constitution allowed that to happen.”
    They sat in silence for a moment while the president seemed lost in thought.
    “Tell them the rest,” he finally said to Davis.
    “After the Revolution ended, Archibald Hale and his three compatriots formed a Commonwealth. Using their letters of marque, together they fattened their pockets. They also added to the Treasury, paying out the specified twenty percent they owed to the new national government. That’s something else I’m sure most Americans have no idea about. We made money off those thieves. With the current bunch, their income tax returns bear little relation to their lifestyles. And yes, for the past couple of decades their talents have been used by our intelligence community. They managed to do some damage in the Middle East, pillaging financial accounts, stealing assets, devaluing companies whose profits were being funneled to extremists. They’re good. Too good, actually. They don’t know when to stop.”
    “Let me guess,” Malone said. “They started stealing from folks that we’d prefer they leave alone.”
    “Something like that,” Daniels said. “They’re not real good on taking direction, if you know what I mean.”
    “A dispute broke out between the Commonwealth and the CIA ,” Davis said. “The last straw came with all the trouble in Dubai and its financial meltdown. The CIA determined that the Commonwealth had been engineering most of that chaos. As the Dubai national debt skyrocketed, the Commonwealth cherry-picked the best assets, buying them for pennies on the dollar. They also thwarted certain debt restructures that nations in the region were offering to solve the crisis. In general, they were a giant pain in the ass. But we couldn’t let Dubai go under. They’re one of the few moderates in that region. Somewhat of an ally. The Commonwealth was told to stop, they said they would, but then they kept right on. So the CIA pointed the IRS at them. They then squeezed the Swiss, who caved and provided financial records on all four members of the current Commonwealth. It’s been determined that those four owe hundreds of millions in back taxes. If done right, we can seize all their assets, which total in the billions.”
    “That’s enough to make a bunch of pirates real nervous,” Cotton said.
    Davis nodded. “Hale came to me and wanted protection under his letter of marque. And he has a point. The language specifically immunizes them from all laws, save for murder. White House counsel tells us the letter is legally binding. The Constitution of the United States directly authorizes it, and the letter itself mentions an act of Congress that approved it.”
    “So why isn’t it being honored?” Cassiopeia asked.
    “Because,” the president said, “Andrew Jackson made that impossible.”

NINETEEN

    NEW YORK CITY

    WYATT HAD NOT APPRECIATED THE REMINDER ABOUT HIS FIRING . True, charges had been brought against him by Malone, a hearing was held, and three mid- to high-level paper pushers, none of them a field operative, had determined that his actions were unwarranted.
    Was I simply to shoot it out with Malone?
he had asked the tribunal.
He and I, guns blazing, hoping we make it, while three agents wait outside?
    He’d thought the question fair—it was the most he’d said at the entire hearing—but the tribunal