The director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, defended yesterday before a committee of the US House of Representatives the independence of his investigations against attacks by Republicans, who accuse the institution of being politicized and of persecuting the former president. Donald Trump.
“This organization is made up of 38,000 men and women who are patriots and professionals and who are dedicated to public service. This is the real FBI,” Wray claimed during an appearance marked by tense questioning from conservative lawmakers.
fbi, in the crosshairs of the republicans
The Republican Party has put the FBI in the spotlight since an operative searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago, Florida, mansion last year in search of classified documents that he allegedly took illegally from the White House, case by which the former president (2017-2021) has been charged.
Wray denied that this operation could be classified as a “raid” against Trump because it was the “execution of a search warrant” legally issued by a judge.
The FBI director confirmed that the agents waited until the former Republican president was not in the mansion to enter and denied that an elite SWAT police unit participated in the search.
The official also lashed out at conspiracy theories suggesting the 2021 storming of the Capitol by thousands of Trump supporters was actually instigated by the FBI itself.
ridiculous and harmful operation
“The idea that the violence at the Capitol on January 6 was part of an operation orchestrated by FBI agents is ridiculous and damaging to our brave staff,” he said.
Wray also denied that he was defending – as Republican Matt Gaetz suggested – the family of US President Joe Biden, whose son Hunter Biden has been charged with illegal possession of a weapon and for filing two tax returns late.
“Not at all. The FBI has no interest in protecting politicians,” he said.
Republican Mike Johnson, who claimed that the FBI “is used by the Biden Administration as a political tool,” lashed out at the institution over a judge’s ruling that the agency overreached by pressuring social media to remove alleged misinformation about the coronavirus and other issues.
follow the judge’s order
The head of the police force said he will comply with the judge’s order that limited his ability to interact with social networks, but defended the actions of the FBI, which were focused on combating “disinformation coming from evil actors abroad,” he said.
At the beginning of the session, Democratic legislator Jerry Nadler warned that the objective of said hearing, called by the Republicans, who hold the majority in the Lower House, was to put on a “show” to defend Trump.