Ex-FBI Agent: Whistleblower Testimony Can Lead to Further Probes.

Three FBI whistleblowers recently provided information to a U.S. House subcommittee, and their testimony has sparked a call for further investigation and testimony from more current and former agents, according to whistleblower Stephen Friend.

Despite facing criticism from Democrats on the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, Friend, along with Garret O’Boyle and Marcus Allen, stood their ground and paved the way for other federal law enforcement whistleblowers to come forward.

“I think the goal for the Democrats was to make the whistleblowers look like they’re out of control, not rational people, unprofessional, and sort of wild,” Friend told The Epoch Times. “And that would then discourage the Republicans from having future hearings with whistleblowers. So we had to lay down on the barbed wire and take the hits.”

The May 18 hearing was marked by attempts from Democrats to discredit the whistleblowers or paint them as partisans. However, their attacks fell flat and showed the minority party was reduced to throwing mud.

Friend, who resigned from the FBI in February after being on unpaid suspension for five months, has been critical of the Bureau’s handling of Jan. 6 cases and its approach to domestic terrorism. He refused to go on FBI SWAT raids against Jan. 6 defendants in Florida, citing concerns over the heavy-handed approach being used.

“One of the things they drill into you early on is every encounter that you have with the public is an armed encounter—because you’re armed,” Friend said. “And because of that reality, the goal should always be to be as peaceful as possible.”

Friend has also been vocal about his desire to empower local law enforcement and criticized the Bureau for opening hundreds of Jan. 6 cases in order to create the perception that domestic terrorism is a bigger problem than it is in America.

Questioning Loyalty and Patriotism

During the hearing, Friend said he viewed some of the comments as questioning the loyalty or patriotism of all three witnesses.

“I found [Rep.] Stacey Plaskett’s [(U.S. Virgin Island at-large)] opening statement to be pretty gross when she tried to wrap herself in the flag of Police Week when Democrats have been consistently anti-law enforcement for a number of years,” Friend said.

“And misconstruing my statements that I want to defund the FBI means that I want to defund federal law enforcement or remove federal law enforcement. I want to empower local law enforcement. I think that the number one priority for the FBI should be to empower local law enforcement.”

Friend, who has worked as a police officer and arrested over 150 violent criminals, including child pornographers and pedophiles, said he will play his patriotism against any member of the Democratic caucus.