OAN Abril Elfi
10:59 AM – Wednesday, July 12, 2023
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan is urging Congress to cease funding of Department of Justice inquiries of elected officials, political candidates, and their families until a new management strategy is established.
Jordan (R-Ohio) outlined his appropriations demands in a letter to Kay Granger, the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee. Jordan outlined a list of demands for the appropriations legislation in an 11-page letter delivered on Tuesday, which was acquired by the Washington Examiner. These demands ranged from safeguarding FBI whistleblowers to securing the southern border.
Jordan had requested that Granger include clauses that forbid the use of taxpayer money to support President Joe Biden’s southern border policy, the Global Engagement Center, or any other governmental or nongovernmental organizations that are enmeshed in retaliation against any whistleblower. It also included verbiage regarding salary payments of FBI or Justice Department officials who applied these tactics.
Additionally, he requested that funding for a new FBI headquarters not be granted until it is relocated to Huntsville, Alabama.
“The Committee remains concerned about the politicization of federal law enforcement power emanating from FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.,” the letter reads. “The centralization of FBI operations in the National Capitol Region has led to duplication of activity best left to the respective field offices, contributed to reduced autonomy in local field offices, and allowed improper political influence to taint law enforcement investigations and activity.”
Jordan asserted that he wants to boost transparency at the FBI and DOJ by linking funding to specific policy adjustments at the FBI, such as mandating them to electronically record any interviews conducted in conjunction with a criminal investigation. The recording would also have to be preserved for ten years.
This would not apply to interviews done with confidential sources or with non-U.S. citizens outside of the country.
The GOP representative asked that no taxpayer funds be used to support legislation that would inhibit the U.S. Marshall Service from defending Supreme Court justices.
His plans went after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for using stabilizing braces, which has historically been contested by Republicans. The measures revived criticism of the Biden administration’s handling of threats against school boards and include a number of cuts to the Department of Homeland Security.
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