In a reversal of a Biden-era decision, President Donald Trump said that he's "not going to let" the FBI move out of Washington, D.C., to Maryland's Prince George's County.
In a Friday speech at the Department of Justice, Trump said FBI headquarters should not be moved "three hours away" to the "liberal state" of Maryland.
The federal agency's planned move would relocate it from the nation's capital to Greenbelt in the Old Line State. According to The Baltimore Banner, Greenbelt is not three hours away, as Trump suggested; the estimated drive time during rush hour on Friday was 50 minutes.
"We're going to stop it," Trump said in video shared by the outlet. "We're not going to let that happen. We're going to build another big FBI building right where it is, which would have been the right place, because the FBI and the DOJ have to be near each other."
The decision to situate the FBI's new headquarters in Greenbelt was made by the U.S. General Services Administration and it was not immediately clear how the Republican president would nix the Biden administration's site selection.
Maryland's congressional delegation has reportedly spent years lobbying to draw the FBI from the Beltway to Greenbelt, and in a joint statement with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore they said they plan to continue working toward that end.
In their statement, Maryland's top Democrats and Moore said that Greenbelt was chosen "based on the fact that it is the best site and it offers the lowest price and the best value to the taxpayers."
"What's more, it ensures that the FBI can move to a facility that will finally meet its mission and security needs as soon as possible," the statement added.
News of Trump scuttling the FBI's planned move to Maryland spread quickly, and state lawmakers slammed the president's pronouncement.
"He's under some illusion that he can waltz into town and just change the law," state Del. Jazz Lewis, a Prince George's County Democrat, told the Banner.
Lewis told the outlet that Trump's remark about Maryland being a "liberal state" shows the decision is a partisan one.
State Del. Adrian Boafo, also a Democrat, posted on X that Trump is once again "trying to harm Marylanders."
"Not on our watch," Boafo wrote. "I have confidence in Team Maryland to fight back. There was a deal on the table, and Trump now is reneging. Shame. On. Him."
The Banner reported that the Maryland House of Delegates voted shortly after Trump's comments to require Moore to spend $200 million in preauthorized bonds on "site redevelopment and transportation infrastructure improvements" if the FBI relocation ultimately moves ahead.
"Given what was announced earlier today, colleagues, I thank you all in standing with us," Lewis said, according to the outlet. "I think there will be a long process in figuring out what happens there. But Maryland stands committed to be a partner with the federal government if this comes here."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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