Ohio Representative Jim Jordan has called for the budget of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to be targeted by Congress in light of the recently released John Durham report.
The report found that the FBI launched an investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign without evidence and due process. Speaking on Fox News Channel, Jordan accused Democrats of creating false narratives amplified by legacy media outlets and Big Tech. He stated that the report revealed that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign collaborated with the FBI in 2016 to target Trump, while in 2020, 51 former CIA agents and intelligence officials worked with then-former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign to achieve the same objective. Jordan emphasized that in both instances, the aim was to target Trump and prevent him from assuming office.
The 306-page Durham report highlights the disparity between the FBI’s handling of issues related to Clinton’s campaign and those involving her Republican opponent, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. The report concluded that the FBI’s investigation into alleged collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia demonstrated a “lack of analytical rigor, apparent confirmation bias, and an over-willingness to rely on information from individuals connected to political opponents.”
Jordan described Durham’s report as scathing and criticized the James Comey-led FBI for failing to uphold its mission of fidelity to the law. He proposed targeting the FBI’s budget through appropriations to hold the agency accountable, saying that it is the most effective leverage that Congress possesses. Jordan claimed that if conservatives were involved in a similar situation, they would face relentless pursuit, while the other side remains unaccountable.
The FBI responded to the report by stating that it had already rolled out reforms in response to its mistakes, which the bureau acknowledged. The FBI detailed the “corrective actions” it had made, including installing more rigorous requirements for applying for surveillance, requiring personnel training for surveillance applications, updating agency guidelines on vetting confidential human sources, additional requirements for opening “sensitive” investigative measures, and expanding its internal oversight and auditing programs. Durham made no recommendations in his report for new policies at the bureau. He noted that a cultural shift and return to the bureau’s founding values remains the best way to ensure integrity of the institution going forward.
