Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said on Aug. 17 that he expects more FBI whistleblowers to emerge in the near future following the bureau’s recent actions.
Jordan said this week that over the past several months, 14 FBI whistleblowers came forward and provided him with information about a range of issues, including reports last year that showed the FBI was taking counterterrorism measures against parents who spoke out about left-wing policies at school board meetings.
“Fourteen whistleblowers have come to us, and, frankly, we anticipate more,” he said.
There were erroneous reports this week indicating that the 14 whistleblowers came forward in the wake of the FBI’s raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence last week. However, Jordan told Fox News that had occurred over several months and was related to different issues, including a memo about a purported rise in harassment and threats of violence against school employees and board members nationwide.
‘We Can’t Subpoena’
“I think the reason they come to us is they know they can trust us and we will work with them,” Jordan said of the whistleblowers. “But when they come to us in the minority, all we can really do is begin to tell their story. We can’t subpoena. We can’t do the things that you can typically obviously do in the majority, but yet they’re still willing to come forward, which I think underscores how political that place has become.”About two months ago, he announced that six FBI whistleblowers have come forward. Two came forward about the memo related to alleged violence and intimidation at school board meetings and four in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach.
“Some of these good agents are coming to us, telling us ... what’s going on—the political nature now of the Justice Department ... talking about the school board issue, about a whole host of issues,” Jordan said.
In the Trump raid case, a search warrant released on Aug. 12 after the unprecedented raid on Aug. 8 shows that Trump allegedly had 11 sets of classified documents at his home. The Justice Department stated that it had probable cause to conduct the search based on possible Espionage Act and obstruction of justice violations.
A federal magistrate in West Palm Beach, Florida, agreed on Aug. 18 to unseal some parts of the affidavit connected to the Mar-a-Lago search warrant.