Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), teaming up with conservative colleague Sen. Ron Johnson (R-MN), has probed the Biden family’s questionable business and financial practices with foreign countries such as China since at least 2020.
The Iowa Senator, who has met with FBI whistleblowers that claim the agency actively attempted to thwart their discoveries, gave perhaps the most revealing and troubling testimony when he spoke on behalf of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.
“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,” Grassley said during the hearing.
Sen. @ChuckGrassley: "I've ran countless investigations. In the past few years, I've never seen so much effort from the FBI, the partisan media, and some of my Democrat colleagues to interfere with and undermine very legitimate congressional inquiries." pic.twitter.com/Cn7q0z1cuu
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 9, 2023
He brought up various examples of such practices, including Operation Crossfire Hurricane, which was an attempt by the FBI to spy on the Trump campaign.
Grassley argued, “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,” adding that such issues pose an existential threat to traditional American life.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, (D-MD), the only Democrat to be called to the witness stand on Thursday, alleged it is actually Republicans who are using the force of the federal government to target political dissidents.
“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,” proclaimed Raskin.
This does not mark the first controversy from the FBI addressed by Sen. Grassley. Reports last year revealed that following an investigation on FBI officials led by the Associated Press, a whistleblower told Grassley that over 600 affiliates of the organization had either stepped down or quit their roles in an effort to avoid answering to concerning allegations of misconduct.
As was reported Oct. 2022 by the Des Moine Register:
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.
