EXCLUSIVE — Two former FBI agents will detail on Thursday how the bureau has become overly political before a new “weaponization” subcommittee spearheaded by House Republicans, according to a copy of testimony obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The ex-agents, Thomas J. Baker and Nicole Parker, are set to sharply criticize what they view as the FBI’s transformation into a partisan agency they say has targeted the public and their constitutional rights, testimony shows. The hearing will also feature testimony from Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), who is ranking member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
TULSI GABBARD AND EX-FBI AGENTS AMONG WITNESSES CALLED FOR ‘WEAPONIZATION’ PANEL’S FIRST HEARING
“Americans have lost faith in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an institution they once regarded as the world’s greatest law enforcement agency,” Baker said in testimony. “I spent many years with the FBI and am deeply troubled by this loss of faith. Specific lapses have come to light, many of which will be focused on by this panel. But why did they happen? What changed? The answer begins days after the 9/11 attacks with a cultural change at the bureau.”
Baker’s testimony targets former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who was notably appointed special prosecutor for the investigation into alleged Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election.
“Just days into his tenure as FBI director, he was humiliated when President George W. Bush dismissed his reporting and said he wanted him to prevent another attack,” said Baker, who served as an FBI special agent for 33 years. “After his experience at Camp David, Mueller resolved and resolutely set about to change the FBI ‘culture.’ That’s the word he used. He was going to make it into an intelligence agency, or in his repeated terminology, an ‘intelligence-driven’ organization.”
Among other topics, Baker slammed the FBI’s Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant against ex-Trump adviser Carter Page.
“This use of FISA against a U.S. citizen is what presents a fundamental threat to Americans’ civil liberties,” said Baker. “It essentially suspends the Constitution. In 1978, reforms in response to the Church Committee’s revelations gave us the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. For more than two decades, it was used solely, as its name implies, to gather intelligence on foreign agents resident in this country.”
READ BAKER’S FULL TESTIMONY BELOW
Parker, an FBI agent between 2011 and 2022, will outline how her interpretation of the FBI radically changed due to the bureau’s “priorities and governing principles” being “shifted dramatically,” according to a copy of her testimony obtained by the Washington Examiner.
“The FBI became politically weaponized, starting from the top in Washington and trickling down to the field offices,” she said. “Although FBI employees have their first amendment rights, they are not at the liberty to allow their personal political views or preferences to determine their course of action or inaction in any investigation.”
“It’s as if there became two FBIs,” she also said. “Americans see this, and it is destroying the bureau’s credibility, causing Americans to lose faith in the agency and therefore the hardworking and highly ethical agents who still do the heavy lifting and pursue noble cases. It makes it difficult for agents to do their job when the FBI loses the respect of the American people.”
Parker notably claimed that the FBI has shifted its “recruiting practices” and lowered its “eligibility requirements,” which, she claimed, is “negatively impacting the agency’s performance.”
“I love the FBI I joined,” said Parker. “I have treasured memories working alongside remarkable people. I’m proud to have served with honor as a special agent. And while I sincerely pray for the FBI’s future success, the FBI’s troubles of late are bigger than anything I could change. Going forward, I will continue serving others and our beloved country while honoring and celebrating the true heroes, both past and present, of the FBI.”
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“When I was invited to participate in this hearing, my initial reaction was to decline the request as there may be others more capable who would do a much better job than me,” she added. “I have been given the opportunity to speak up on behalf of numerous current and former bureau employees who feel similarly but do not have a voice. I am not here today to show favor to any political party — I am here to stand for the truth based on my experience at the FBI. In all humility, I hope to make an impact in creating a stronger agency which is what Americans deserve.”
READ PARKER’S TESTIMONY BELOW
The hearing is part of a broader investigation by Republicans into what they call the politicization of the FBI in recent years, and the subcommittee was authorized following a House GOP deal struck with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has already fired off subpoenas to the Biden administration this Congress over the FBI. He is demanding that FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona hand over documents related to the alleged targeting of parents at local school board meetings
The Washington Examiner has reached out to the FBI for comment.
