FBI ‘Overstates’ Domestic Violent Extremism Threat, Removes Agents From Child Abuse Cases: New Whistleblower

A new whistleblower has alleged the FBI is “manipulating” case files to make it seem like America has a bigger “domestic violent extremism” (DVE) problem than it does, while redirecting resources away from child sexual abuse investigations to prioritize Jan. 6 cases, according to Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

The new whistleblower’s disclosures, Jordan said, indicate that the way the FBI’s field office in Washington, D.C. handles DVE cases related to Jan. 6 “diverge[s]” from established practice in such a way that it “overstates the national DVE threat.”

Instead of records reflecting a number of DVE cases “stemming from a single, black swan incident” in D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, it appears on paper as if there has been a rise in DVE threats all around the country.

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during a hearing before Senate Judiciary Committee at Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Aug. 4, 2022. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Jordan raised the allegations with FBI Director Christopher Wray in a letter on Monday, saying whistleblowers have contacted elected officials about “disturbing conduct” at the FBI, including “politicization within the Washington Field Office (WFO).”

This is not the first time Jordan has raised whistleblower allegations with Wray along these lines. In July, the Ohio congressman wrote to Wray about allegations supervisors were pressuring agents to “reclassify cases” as DVE even if they didn’t meet the criteria.

“Since then, new whistleblowers have come forward with concerning information about how the FBI is deliberately manipulating the way case files related to January 6 investigations are maintained in order to create a false and misleading narrative that domestic violent extremism is increasing around the country,” Jordan wrote.

‘Manipulative Casefile Practice’ Creates ‘Illusion’ of Extremism

According to Jordan, the whistleblower alleged “the FBI has not followed regular procedure” with

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