Republicans Working on Plan to Rein in FBI by Moving Headquarters 700 Miles from DC: Report
In the latest effort to pull the federal government back from the clutches of the left, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio wants to cue up a bit of Lynyrd Skynyrd, according to a new report.
The FBI might not be singing “Sweet Home Alabama” after what The Wall Street Journal reported, but that does seem to be the theme song for the latest effort to dismantle the culture, conduct and image of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Jordan is proposing allowing the FBI to have a new headquarters on the condition that it be located in Huntsville, Alabama, the Journal reported, citing sources it did not name.
The current plan calls for the agency to leave Washington, D.C. for the more congenial spaces of the suburbs, the report said.
What has the FBI done to investigate attacks on anti-abortion centers and churches?
Are agents who worked on the Russia investigation still at the FBI?
How closely has the FBI worked with social media companies to censor speech?
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 10, 2023
However, Jordan, a chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has some clout. He is planning to put ideas that support his Huntsville proposal in bills that would fund the federal government’s 2024 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.
A representative of the FBI said any budget cut would be “detrimental to the support the FBI provides to the American people.”
The representative said there were “numerous operational reasons” to stay in the D.C. area, including interacting with intelligence partners and remaining near the Quantico, Virginia academy.
The report said the FBI is dissatisfied with the 50-year-old J. Edgar Hoover Building and that the General Services Administration is looking for a spot in Virginia and Maryland for the building, in which about 5,500 people would be working.
The Swamp always takes care of the political elite.
And leaves Real America out to dry.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 7, 2023
Jordan prefers the FBI go to the Redstone Arsenal, an Army facility, where the FBI already has more than 1,000 people working.
The report said Jordan thinks the 700 miles of distance between deep blue D.C. and deep red Alabama might insulate the FBI from liberal politics.
The report said three members of Jordan’s staff have toured Huntsville, and said the site is referred to by the FBI as its “unofficial second headquarters.”
The FBI has been shopping for a new location since 2013, the report said, although efforts to find a new headquarters were stymied during the Trump administration.
The GSA said they and the FBI are “deliberately considering the input we received as part of the latest round of consultations to determine next steps on the site selection process” when it comes to locations in Maryland and Virginia.
The FBI told The Wall Street Journal the Redstone site, including two planned FBI campuses, is not big enough for its needs.
Has Merrick Garland ever asked Wray to stand down on an investigative step?https://t.co/CCkCYJjp86
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 10, 2023
FBI Director Christopher Wray is expected to testify Wednesday before the House Judiciary Committee, according to NBC.
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