By Jay Clemons. Media: Newsmax.
In his investigation of numerous allegations from FBI whistleblowers, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has reportedly requested testimony from 16 individuals who are either current or recent bureau employees, according to a letter sent Friday to FBI Director Christopher Wray.
According to a Breitbart News report, Jordan has already concluded closed-door interviews with three FBI witnesses who had contacted the Ohio Republican’s office during the past year, regarding alleged misconduct of higher-ups at the bureau.
The letter to Wray included the following excerpt:
“From the documentary and testimonial information that we have obtained to date, we have identified several FBI employees who we believe possess information that is necessary for our oversight. We anticipate that we may require testimony from additional FBI employees as our oversight continues, and we expect your cooperation in facilitating these future interviews as well,” wrote Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
According to Breitbart, of the 16 individuals selected by Jordan, several bureau-connected workers hold or held prominent leadership positions, either “special agent in charge” or “assistant special agent in charge.”
The list of public witnesses who have already been questioned include:
- Steve Friend, a former Florida-based FBI special agent.
- Garret O’Boyle, a suspended Kansas-based FBI special agent.
- George Hill, a retired national security intelligence supervisor in the FBI’s Boston filed office.
Each of the closed-door interviews were conducted and transcribed by Republican and Democrat members of the Judiciary Committee.
Per Breitbart, Hill and Friend testified in detail about how they felt “certain leaders at the FBI had an abnormally heavy focus” on cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021 unrest at the Capitol.
Also, Hill and Friend alleged that bureau agents were pressured by superiors to prioritize cases related to “domestic violent extremism” and boost the number of such cases in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 rally.
O’Boyle reportedly provided testimony regarding the FBI pursuing leads related to school board meetings, as well as leads related to responses to the Supreme Court leak involving the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, which O’Boyle recounted had “shifted” to focus on pro-lifers.
Breitbart reports the FBI suspended the security clearances of Friend and O’Boyle last September ā after they came forward to Republican investigators in the House.
Also, a number of left-leaning media outlets ā including Rolling Stone magazine, CNN, and The New York Times ā have released “cherry-picked” sections of testimony from Hill, Friend, and O’Boyle; and a handful of Democrats have already tried to discredit the trio as more “conspiracy theorists” than “whistleblowers.”
According to Breitbart, Jordan acknowledged to the DOJ that he has received pushback on the testimony request.
He also wants the DOJ to formally respond to the witness requests by March 8.
Per Jordan’s letter to Wray:
“We are aware that the Justice Department has preemptively indicated that it intends to limit the scope and nature of information available to the Committee as part of our oversight.
“You should know, however, that despite the Department’s assertions to the contrary, congressional committees have regularly received testimony from non-Senate-confirmed and line-level Justice Department employees, including FBI employes [sic], in the past. We expect this past precedent to apply to our oversight as well,” added Jordan.