House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has issued a stern warning to FBI Director Christopher Wray, threatening to hold him in contempt of Congress.
Jordan's letter, sent on Monday, accuses the FBI of failing to comply with subpoenas issued earlier this year.
In the letter, Jordan expresses his dissatisfaction with the FBI's "wholly inadequate" compliance with two separate subpoenas. The first subpoena relates to the FBI's surveillance of school boards, specifically regarding parents who expressed frustration with the curriculum and the promotion of race-based education. The second subpoena pertains to a memo from an FBI field office that warned of connections between traditional Catholics and extremist movements.
According to Jordan, the FBI's lack of cooperation has hindered the House Judiciary Committee's oversight efforts. Despite multiple attempts to negotiate and work with the FBI, Jordan states that the Committee will take action if compliance does not improve significantly. This action could include initiating contempt of Congress proceedings against Director Wray.
Regarding the "School Board-related Threats" subpoena, the FBI has failed to provide the requested documentation and information. The FBI had been asked to surveil potential threats from parents after receiving a letter from the National School Boards Association (NBSA) in 2021. However, the NBSA later apologized for the letter after the FBI's involvement. Despite a previous subpoena issued in February, the FBI only handed over four documents, omitting material that the Committee believes is responsive to the subpoena.
The second subpoena, titled "Catholic Domain Perspective," concerns a memo from a former FBI agent. The memo alleged that the FBI and the Department of Justice (DOJ) were investigating "radical traditionalist" Catholics with supposed connections to the far-right white nationalist movement. The House Judiciary Committee requested information regarding this investigation but initially received no response from the FBI. After several subpoenas, the FBI finally provided several hundred pages of heavily redacted documents. However, Jordan argues that this is not sufficient, as an unredacted version of the memorandum and related documents were not produced.
Chairman Jordan's letter highlights the frustration within the House Judiciary Committee regarding the FBI's alleged lack of compliance with subpoenas. The Committee's oversight efforts have been impeded, and Jordan's warning to Director Wray signals the Committee's intention to take action if the situation does not improve.
The subpoenas in question relate to the FBI's surveillance of school boards and the investigation into connections between traditional Catholics and extremist movements. The FBI's failure to provide the requested information has raised concerns about transparency and accountability within the agency.
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