FBI whistleblowers: agency officials pressured agents to classify cases as 'domestic violent extremism'

In a letter directed to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan stated that whistleblowers at the bureau informed members of Congress about allegations that the FBI is 'padding domestic terrorism data' to amplify the threat of white supremacy.

FBI whistleblowers: agency officials pressured agents to classify cases as  'domestic violent extremism'
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FBI whistleblowers have informed the U.S. House Judiciary Committee of allegations that agency officials have reportedly pressured agents to reclassify numerous cases as “domestic violent extremism” (DVE) despite weak evidence that the cases belong in the category. 

In a letter directed to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan stated that whistleblowers at the bureau informed members of Congress about allegations that the FBI is “padding domestic terrorism data” to amplify the threat of white supremacy. 

The bureau, he said, is misclassifying cases as “domestic violent extremists” to support the Biden administration’s narrative about the threat they pose. 

Numerous members of the Biden administration, including President Joe Biden and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley claim that white supremacy poses the largest threat to the United States. 

“From recent protected disclosures, we have learned that FBI officials are pressuring agents to reclassify cases as ‘domestic violent extremism’ even if the cases do not meet the criteria for such a classification. Given the narrative pushed by the Biden administration that domestic violent extremism is the ‘greatest threat’ facing our country, revelation that the FBI may be artificially padding domestic terrorism data is scandalous,” Jordan wrote

“We have received accusations that FBI agents are bolstering the number of cases of DVEs to satisfy their superiors. For example, one whistleblower explained that because agents are not finding enough DVE cases, they are encouraged and incentivized to reclassify cases as DVE cases even though there is minimal, circumstantial evidence to support the reclassification,” he added. 

Jordan stated that the bureau created a system of rewards for agents who classify cases under the DVE label. 

“Another whistleblower — who led at least one high profile domestic terrorism investigation — stated that a field office Counterterrorism Assistant Special Agent in Charge and the FBI’s Director of the Counterterrorism Division have pressured agents to move cases into the DVE category to hit self-created performance metrics,” Jordan wrote. “According to whistleblowers, the FBI uses these metrics to dispense awards and promotions. Every whistleblower has called it an environment of ‘pressure’ within the FBI.” 

According to Wray, the threat of DVE is the primary threat of terrorism in the United States. Testifying before Congress last year, Wray said that the contentions over the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidental election fed the threat of DVE and that the FBI projected that DVE incidents would become more prevalent due to Trump’s alleged radicalization of his base.

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