An upswell of donations is providing a boost to a group that supports active and former members of the FBI after President Trump repeatedly tore into the nation’s top law enforcement agency over the Christmas holiday weekend.
The FBI Agents Association announced this week that more than 2,000 donors gave more than $140,000 this month to its two charitable funds — the Memorial College Fund, which helps send children of deceased agents to college, and the Membership Assistance Fun, which helps struggling agents and their families.
This month, more than 2,000 donors contributed over $140,000 to our two charitable funds. This money will send the children of deceased Agents to college and help FBI families in need. Learn more about how your support makes a difference. Video: https://t.co/sVa3y54Kn7
— FBI Agents Assoc. (@FBIAgentsAssoc) December 26, 2017
“I can say that it’s a significant uptick in the number of donors and donations that we typically receive in December,” FBIAA spokesman Paul Nathanson told Business Insider in a report.
During the long Christmas weekend and into Tuesday the president repeatedly took swipes at the FBI, tweeting Tuesday that the agency is “tainted.” And he’s not alone. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., said Tuesday he believes the FBI needs to be “purged” and suggested there are some agents working with the bureau who are part of the “deep state” against Trump after the revelation that FBI employees involved in the special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia inquiry showed anti-Trump bias in text messages they exchanged.
In light of Trump’s attacks this weekend, Benjamin Wittes, who is editor-in-chief of Lawfare and a longtime friend of former FBI Director James Comey, tweeted that he made a $1,000 donation to FBIAA in the names of two of the FBI’s employees that the president targeted: longtime general counsel James Baker, who has reportedly been reassigned as his potential role in leaking the infamous Trump dossier has come under scrutiny, and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who is reportedly retiring in early 2018 and has been criticized by Republicans for alleged bias in the FBI.
“The President is impugning the integrity of the FBI by attacking two honorable public servants,” Wittes wrote in urging his followers to follow suit with the hashtag “#thanksFBI”.
The President is impugning the integrity of the FBI by attacking two honorable public servants: Jim Baker and Andy McCabe. I just donated $1,000 to the @FBIAgentsAssoc in their names. I urge others to give as well and tweet that you did so to #thanksFBI. https://t.co/dim8LH3Ns3 pic.twitter.com/Kje8iEsZPu
— Benjamin Wittes (@benjaminwittes) December 23, 2017
That tweet was retweeted by Comey.
