[12FT] Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Tuesday claimed that the FBI is "purging" employees who hold conservative viewpoints.In a letter (pdf) to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Jordan, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said that multiple whistleblowers at the law enforcement agency had come forward alleging retaliatory actions to employees who had engaged in "disfavored political speech."
The letter redacted the names and positions of the alleged whistleblowers.
The Ohio Republican lawmaker said that in one instance, an alleged veteran was targeted for failing to agree with officials’ conclusions about the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol.
The veteran, who allegedly served in the U.S military for several years and was deployed in Kuwait and Iraq, had their security clearance suspended, before being indefinitely suspended from duty and pay after sharing "personal views that the FBI was not being entirely forthcoming about the events of January 6."
"As a result, the FBI determined that [REDACTED] had ’espoused conspiratorial views’ and ’promoted unreliable information which indicates support for the events of January 6,’ and therefore the FBI questioned allegiance to the United States," Jordan wrote.
Jordan wrote that the same individual had "been rated as ’Exceeds Fully Successful’ in performance evaluations, has received several awards, and has never been disciplined or reprimanded until this instance."
Lawyers for the alleged whistleblower claimed that the FBI’s accusations against their client are a "monumental leap from objective fact" and a "distortion" of actions as well as "gross injustice" which violates their client’s right to exercise freedom of speech under the First Amendment.
In another incident, Jordan said that one alleged whistleblower, who has since left the FBI, had informed the House Judiciary Committee that they faced retaliation when they criticized the FBI in an anonymous survey circulated to employees following Jan. 6.
"The FBI allegedly escalated an adverse personnel action against this employee after [REDACTED] commented on the survey, which sought feedback about the [REDACTED] actions ’during the recent crisis/command post’ event. The employee, too, was never disciplined or reprimanded until after [REDACTED] criticized the FBI," the letter reads.
Jordan said multiple "whistleblowers have called it a ’purge’ of FBI employees holding conservative views."
A copy of the letter was also sent to Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.
An FBI spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email: "While the FBI does not comment on specific personnel matters, under no circumstances would we take action against employees for lawfully exercising their First Amendment rights. All FBI employees understand that adherence to rigorous security policies and the highest standards of integrity are critical to fulfilling our mission of protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution of the United States."
Jordan also claimed that a previous May 6 letter sent to Wray detailing allegations of the FBI’s alleged behavior had gone unanswered.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Jordan said that a total of six agents had come forward as whistleblowers, two of which related to a school board’s memo.
"We are conducting oversight to ensure the FBI is not retaliating against FBI employees for exercising their First Amendment rights and engaging in disfavored political speech," he wrote in his letter on Wednesday. "We reiterate our earlier requests for your personal assurance that the FBI will cooperate fully with the Department of Justice’s Office of Inspector General’s examination of these matters and for a briefing on the FBI’s purge of employees holding disfavored viewpoints."
The Ohio lawmaker’s letter comes as the House select committee probing the Jan. 6 attack is set to begin its public hearings on Thursday at 8 p.m.