Jim Jordan: GOP laying groundwork to use ‘power of the purse’ against FBI
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said House Republicans are laying the foundation to restrict funding to the FBI as the House subcommittee launches its investigation into the “weaponization” of the federal government.
Jordan, who chairs both the House Judiciary Committee and the subcommittee on weaponization, told Maria Bartiromo on Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that Republicans will use the “power of the purse” against the FBI amid their investigation into the agency.
He said one of the panel’s probes would look into whether there is a difference in how the FBI investigates those who are anti-abortion compared to those who protested the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“We’re going to look to propose legislation and in the end, the real power of Congress, the real power of the legislative branch is the power of the purse,” he said. “And we’re going to have to use that both on this issue where we think the government’s been targeting the very people it’s supposed to serve. But also, frankly, on the border.”
Republicans figures have focused their ire on the FBI since its search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence over the summer, with figures like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) calling to defund the agency.
The GOP’s government weaponization subcommittee held its first hearing last month to investigate the alleged targeting of conservatives orchestrated by federal government. Many Democrats have decried the creation of such a committee, saying it only serves to push GOP-backed conspiracy theories ahead of the 2024 election.
Jordan cited a Fox News report that a former FBI agent, Garret O’Boyle, told the subcommittee that the FBI created a “threat tag” after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, but that the tag later shifted to focus more “on pro-life adherence.” He said the committee has sent multiple subpoenas and letters to the FBI over the matter.
Other witnesses that have appeared before the committee included George Hill, a retired FBI supervisory intelligence analyst, and Stephen Friend, a former special agent with the FBI in Daytona Beach.
House Democrats on the Judiciary Committee issued a report earlier this week arguing the three witnesses — O’Boyle, Hill and Friend — did not offer any evidence that the FBI has committed any wrongdoing, but instead gave their opinions.
“The individuals who have appeared before the Committee so far are ‘witnesses,’ not ‘whistleblowers,’ ” Democrats said in the report.
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