to expand: belief in the "someone would say something if there was an op in play!"-meme is the very thing which keeps the machine going.

almost nobody ever says anything if the order comes from above. we clearly have seen this during the last years. germanys RKI (responsible for the "scientific" expertise) is directly below the ministry of interior in chain of command, as is everything else in the executive. orders just move down. nobody questions shit. if they'd order to shoot people, people will be shot. years later some court says it was illegal but ultimately it just was tough luck and couldn't be helped - judges are picked from party lines after all! the few down in the lower parts of government who have some integrety left are taken care of by moving them out of place or campaigns against their person.

"that's lunatic ramblings of a tinfoil hat!" you'd say. that's what they would have said about mkultra or gladio. i don't see why i should expect the modus operandi of states to have changed.