Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) gave a sneak peek on Sunday into how the GOP-controlled House can step up its investigations into charges of politicization inside the FBI made by whistleblowers.
Jordan oversees the House Judiciary Committee and a new subcommittee that is tasked with looking into the “weaponization” of the federal government during this incipient session of Congress, giving him extensive authority and more potent tools, including subpoenas, to undertake investigations.
The congressman was questioned by Maria Bartiromo, anchor of Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” on the potential of calling FBI whistleblowers to testify under oath.
Jordan responded to fears of reprisal by the Justice Department by saying of the whistleblowers, “We are working with them. We believe that many of them will actually be willing to take a deposition and testify in a public hearing. So, we are now working on that.”
Although they lacked the authority to issue subpoenas, House Republicans on the Oversight Committee last year demanded information from intelligence and law enforcement officials. They also released a report in November that summarized the accusations of politicization in the Justice Dept. and FBI made by “a large number” of whistleblowers.
In the study, it was stated that “whistleblowers had described how the FBI has exploited its law-enforcement powers for political reasons, and how acts by FBI leadership reveal a political prejudice towards conservatives.”
Examples include claims that the FBI “abused its counterterrorism powers to probe parents who spoke during school board meetings” and “artificially inflated data about domestic violent extremism in the U.S.” Other details included allegations that the FBI violated privacy rights in connection with the 2016 presidential election, a campaign to “purge” FBI personnel who held conservative beliefs, and “political influence” that impedes criminal investigations.
The federal law enforcement organization reacted negatively to one specific whistleblower accusation. The unidentified FBI whistleblower allegedly informed the House Judiciary Republicans that the FBI was diverting agents from child sexual abuse investigations to focus on political inquiries, particularly those pertaining to the Capitol disturbance on January 6, 2021.
An FBI representative told The Epoch Times in a long statement that the agency’s “commitment” to addressing one specific threat to the American people “does not come at the price of another.” The FBI “investigates persons that commit or plan to commit violent acts and other criminality that constitutes a federal offense or creates a threat to national security,” the representative emphasized, adding that the FBI “does not investigate ideology.”
Jordan disclosed 14 whistleblowers last year, but on Sunday he said 19 had come forward to speak with MPs, an increase of five. “Take whistleblower status, FBI officers, and come speak with us,” Jordan stated.
The investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of sensitive data by the House Judiciary Committee began with a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday that demanded details.