Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) of the House Judiciary Committee have just announced their next move after FBI Director Christopher Wray’s testimony last week.
Taking to Twitter to discuss the situation, Johnson wrote, “[Jim Jordan] & I will send Chris Wray a letter this week to give him a chance to correct the contradictions in his testimony to Congress. Either he was being untruthful or he is unaware of the egregious & unconstitutional activities of his agency. Either scenario is alarming.”
.@Jim_Jordan & I will send Chris Wray a letter this week to give him a chance to correct the contradictions in his testimony to Congress.
Either he was being untruthful or he is unaware of the egregious & unconstitutional activities of his agency.
Either scenario is alarming. pic.twitter.com/LIurZ6WMUg
— Rep. Mike Johnson (@RepMikeJohnson) July 17, 2023
In the video above, Rep. Johnson commented that there were “two things [to get the attention of the FBI- Jim Jordan and I are preparing a letter that we will issue probably Monday or Tuesday to ask the director to correct his testimony. We are going to point out the contradictions in what he said under oath and we will start with that. Secondly…the appropriations process is a very important part of this. We have to get their attention.”
“They want a $4 billion new headquarters for the FBI, I have been on the record many times saying I don’t believe they deserve that if they cannot uphold the most fundamental constitutional rights of the people that they are supposed to be protecting and serving. We have to get their attention, we can’t impeach every agency head in the Biden administration,” Johnson continued. Johnson added that “a lot of them probably deserve it [impeachment] but we have to start with the power that we have and…in the House, the power of purse is a big one.”
Another member of the House Judiciary Committee observed the deterioration of the rule of law in the United States and how federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI abuse the process. Congressman Russell Fry (R-SC) chimed in on Twitter, writing, “We are a nation of laws. We are not some Orwellian dystopia where these things are appropriate or allowed, but we’ve allowed this to happen. Yesterday’s [committee] hearing with [Law Professor Jonathan Turley] unpacked how Congress can reform FISA and stop this abusive federal overreach.”
We are a nation of laws. We are not some Orwellian dystopia where these things are appropriate or allowed, but we've allowed this to happen.
Yesterday's @JudiciaryGOP hearing with @JonathanTurley unpacked how Congress can reform FISA and stop this abusive federal overreach.
— Congressman Russell Fry (@RepRussellFry) July 15, 2023
The FISA process was originally put into place to prevent abuses from domestic agencies looking to investigate foreign intelligence has been abused countless times by the FBI through its “thousands of improper searches on American citizens”.