It was last August when Rep. Jim Jordan first referenced a group of FBI insiders, whom he referred to as “whistleblowers.” As the Ohio Republican put it at the time, these unidentified individuals had privately shared provocative information with him about the politicization of the bureau, fueling GOP conspiracy theories.
Almost immediately, the far-right congressman’s story was, in a rather literal sense, unbelievable.
As we’ve discussed, the FBI already has an established process in place for employees to report wrongdoing, including the option of reaching out to the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office. Jordan, however, appeared to be referring to a far more informal process in which a group of FBI employees quietly circumvented official channels and contacted a relatively powerless member of the House minority. It was difficult not to be skeptical.
Nearly eight months later, Jordan is now chairing both the House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, and the Ohioan is still excited about his “whistleblowers.” But as it turns out, Democratic members of the weaponization panel have taken a closer look at Jordan’s star witnesses, as The New York Times reported, they’ve uncovered a few problem.
[T]he first three witnesses to testify privately before the new Republican-led House committee investigating the “weaponization” of the federal government have offered little firsthand knowledge of any wrongdoing or violation of the law, according to Democrats on the panel who have listened to their accounts. Instead, the trio appears to be a group of aggrieved former F.B.I. officials who have trafficked in right-wing conspiracy theories, including about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the Capitol, and received financial support from a top ally of former President Donald J. Trump.
The 316-page report from the Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee was released to the public…
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