Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley is demanding Justice Department records concerning the work history of senior FBI official Timothy Thibault, as well as an investigation into his actions, after revelations of Thibault's apparent political bias on social media, Grassley's office announced.
Department guidelines forbid employees from even giving the appearance of bias, but Thibault, who oversees often highly sensitive public corruption matters that involve political figures, engaged with and amplified partisan content on social media, sometimes even under the label of his official job title.
Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz demanding an investigation into Thibault for potential violations of these regulations, according to the Washington Examiner.
Grassley also sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray that declared a preliminary deadline of June 14 for them to share documents about Thibault, including probes he has supervised since 2015.
Grassley wrote that "his actions present a grave risk of political infection and bias in his official decision-making process, creating serious questions with respect to oversight of investigative matters under his purview," emphasizing that "Thibault's social media postings, comments, and 'likes' … demonstrate a pattern of improper commentary related to, for example, ongoing FBI investigations including those under his purview."
Grassley provided numerous examples of social media posts that he said "call into question Thibault's ability to perform the duties and responsibilities of an FBI agent objectively and without bias. His social media posts require investigation into what, if any, Oversight Department leadership has done to ensure that investigative decisions under his charge have not been infected with a political bias."
The FBI did not comment on Grassley's specific accusations but did say all employees are held to exacting standards.
"Without commenting on any specific personnel matters, all FBI employees are held to the highest standards of professional and ethical conduct," the bureau said in a statement. "Any allegations of misconduct are taken seriously and referred to the Inspection Division."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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