As Republicans are poised to take over the U.S. House of Representatives, leaders within the party, as well as other conservative leaders and former agents, have intensified their allegations against the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for perceived bias against conservatives inside the agency and across the country.
Earlier this month, a group of FBI agents who have been placed on administrative leave and collectively call themselves “the Suspendables” sent a letter to current director Christopher Wray outlining 45 questions on a range of topics.
Among the topics covered by these suspended agents are the alleged mistreatment and retaliation against FBI whistleblowers, alleged discrimination against “unvaccinated conservative/Christian men” within the agency, sexual misconduct and coverups by senior FBI officials, the events of January 6, the perceived failure to properly investigate visitors to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island, and much more.
Many of these questions, and their implications, echo the charges in the Republican members of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s 1,000-page report released in November.
“Why have so many whistleblowers spoken out in recent months?” the letter asks Wray. “Is this an indication that the rank-and-file agents are unhappy with your leadership?”
The suspended agents also directly asked if the FBI intended to respond to any of the letters sent by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) of the House Judiciary Committee or Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the ranking Republican members of the respective committees.
The Dallas Express has previously reported on the letters and accusations levied by Jordan and Grassley against the FBI.
Criticism of the FBI from Republicans began in earnest during the botched handling of the Hunter Biden laptop investigation in 2018 by the federal law enforcement agency. Since then, antagonism between the party and conservative leaders has only escalated.
More recent events, such as the August 2022 FBI raid on former president Trump’s private residence and new revelations that the FBI engaged in the censorship of political speech on social media platforms, have only intensified the conflict.
In their letter, the suspended agents called out some current agents by name, such as former Miami Special Agent in Charge George Piro. They ask why Piro was demoted and retired weeks before the raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence and whether he was the senior FBI official caught engaged in sexual acts with a subordinate.
Piro pushed back in a recent interview, declaring, “These claims are absolutely false. I dedicated my life to the country and the FBI. I am disappointed that former agents would spread lies about me.”
He went on to say, “I am saddened by their behavior and their total disregard for those who are working for the FBI, and those who came before them to make the FBI the premier law enforcement agency in the world.”
In January, Jordan is poised to chair the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Department of Justice and FBI. Congressional investigations are thus almost certain.
A recent nationwide poll revealed that the public overwhelmingly supports such investigations and strongly believes the FBI encouraged censorship of political speech on social media platforms.
After the results of the national election in November, Jordan sent a flurry of correspondence to the FBI renewing previous calls for information and documents and hinting at the scope of future investigations.