Republican Rep. Calls for Punishment After Durham Report

Republican Rep. Calls for Defunding FBI After Durham Report

(LibertySociety.com) – Following the 2016 election, allegations surfaced of collusion between Russia and the campaign of former President Donald Trump. A number of Democrats claimed that Russians helped him win the 2016 election, and there have been several probes related to these allegations, such as the Mueller investigation and the Inspector General investigation of the Mueller probe, and finally the Durham investigation.

While it was found that Russia likely tried to influence the election, authorities didn’t unearth enough evidence to implicate the Trump campaign in any collusion scandal with the country — and Special Counsel John Durham finally released the full report from his own investigation last week. In it, he slammed the FBI over their probe into the matter, concluding that they never should have investigated in the first place. He also criticized the FBI for not upholding the “fidelity” of the law in their efforts.

Many lawmakers are speaking out about the revelations, with Representative Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., calling for action from Congress and accountability those responsible. During an interview with Newsmax, Rep. Gaetz claimed that the agency acted as “the enforcement wing of the Democratic Party to play offense against Trump,” adding that they are now the “plumbers, the dust busters, the fixers” for the Biden administration. He also called to “deauthorize, defang and defund” the authorities he believes are putting partisan politics over the country’s safety.

The FBI responded to the findings in the Durham report on May 15th, 2023, shortly after it was released, admitting that they did not act appropriately. They claimed that they have made changes that will prevent something like this from happening again.

Rep. Gaetz indicated he believes that people should be fired, the agency should be completely reformed, and funding, including for the new headquarters, should be reevaluated, and lowered. He even went so far as to call for agents to be charged for their conduct in the matter. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has invited Special Counsel Durham to testify in front of the House.

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