While everyone’s been focused on Wednesday’s Oversight hearing examining the role Big Tech played in suppressing both the Hunter Biden laptop story and unpopular views about COVID (and there have been many gems from that hearing, to be sure), Thursday opened with a hearing that may end up even more revealing and disturbing: the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who, along with Republican colleague Sen. Ron Johnson (MN), has been investigating the Biden family’s business and financial relationships with foreign nations such as China since at least 2020 — and was approached by FBI whistleblowers who alleged that the agency was working to discredit their findings — provided opening testimony to the Select Subcommittee that Americans would do well to give as much of their attention as they’ve given Twitter’s misdeeds.
“In the past few years, I’ve never seen so much effort from the FBI, partisan media and some of my Democratic colleagues to interfere with and undermine very legitimate congressional inquiries,” he continued. “It’s become a triad of disinformation and outright falsehoods.”
Grassley cited numerous examples from his investigations, in particular those involving Operation Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI’s surveillance effort involving the Trump campaign. He further recounted public comments by his Democratic colleagues maligning his efforts and various leaks to the media of his meetings with the FBI.
Unsurprisingly, Democrats responded by accusing the committee of seeking not to ferret out weaponization, but to weaponize.
“Millions of Americans already fear that weaponization is the right name for this special subcommittee — not because weaponization of the government is its target but because weaponization of the government is its purpose,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the only Democratic member invited to speak as a witness on Thursday.
That’s an understandably defensive position considering the thrashing Grassley gave the FBI and media, which he insinuated were partisan organizations working on behalf of Democrats.
“It’s clear to me that the Justice Department and FBI are suffering from a political infection that – if it’s not defeated – will cause the American people to no longer trust these storied institutions. It will also threaten our American way of life,” Grassley said.
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“I’ve ran countless investigations in the past few years, I’ve never seen so much ever from the FBI, the partisan media and some of my Democratic colleagues to interfere with and undermine very legitimate congressional inquiries,” said Grassley.
Weaponization of the intelligence agency and suppression of legitimate news reports on the president’s son are not the only items Grassley has in his sights as he continues his work, which may make the committee’s work on the House side spicier than people realize. Last year, it was reported a whistleblower had informed the Senator that hundreds of FBI agents and personnel had resigned or retired to avoid accountability for probes into its conduct, up to and including sexual misconduct.
The whistleblower told the office of Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, that the Justice Department launched the review of the FBI’s disciplinary database in 2020 following an Associated Press investigation into sexual misconduct allegations involving at least six senior FBI officials.
The follow-up review found 665 FBI employees, including 45 senior-level officials, resigned or retired between 2004 and 2020 following a misconduct probe but before a final disciplinary letter could be issued, according to a letter this week from Grassley to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The shake-up at the FBI is the first step in addressing Americans’ growing mistrust in her governing institutions. Fundamental changes may be coming for Big Tech, but they may also be coming for government agencies.
Full Grassley testimony is below. Watch it.
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