In an escalation of the investigation into whistleblower allegations of politicization within the FBI, Rep. Jim Jordan (R–OH) issued a subpoena to an FBI executive on Monday.
Jordan, who leads the House Judiciary Committee and its subcommittee charged with investigating the “weaponization” of the federal government, subpoenaed Jennifer Leigh Moore, Executive Assistant Director of Human Resources at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Jordan’s spokesperson Russell Dye said Moore refused to answer questions during a transcribed interview about the FBI’s retaliation against whistleblowers who have come forward with allegations of abuse.
“Today, Chairman Jordan issued a subpoena to Moore after she refused to answer questions during her transcribed interview about the FBI’s retaliation against brave whistleblowers who have come forward to raise concerns about abuses they have seen at the Bureau,” Dye said.
The FBI responded to the subpoena, saying that Moore “voluntarily answered questions from members and their staffs about the FBI’s security clearance adjudication process for several hours.”
The investigation into the FBI is in response to allegations of a “purge” of FBI employees holding conservative views, which have been linked to Moore and concerns raised by former President Donald Trump.
House Republicans on the Judiciary Committee released a report in November summarizing the allegations, saying “the FBI has responded to these concerns with a hollow assertion that ‘FBI personnel must maintain objectivity and rigor in their work.’”
The report continued, “While the FBI may well be holding line agents to this standard, FBI leadership and supervisors are actively purging those who dare to hold a differing opinion.”
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have cast doubt on the trustworthiness of some of the witnesses and have criticized their GOP counterparts’ inquiry as “partisan.”
Moore has been with the bureau for nearly three decades and became assistant director of the Security Division at FBI Headquarters in July 2021.
This latest development in the investigation is sure to spark further controversy as Republicans and Democrats continue to clash on the issue of political influence within the FBI.
