Whistleblowers: FBI Allegedly Exaggerates Domestic Terrorism Data

JUL 28 2022·Updated JUL 29 2022

Story

Image credit: Getty Images [via Daily Caller]

The Facts

In a letter penned to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wed., Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) accused the Biden admin. of overstating the threat of domestic violent extremism (DVE), following purported reports from multiple whistleblowers.
FOX News
The allegations include claims that FBI superiors are "pressuring" agents to meet "self-created performance metrics" to classify cases as DVE even if they don't "meet the criteria for such a classification."
Daily Caller
In his critique of the alleged actions of the FBI, Jordan said that "padding its domestic violent extremist data cheapens actual examples of violent extremism."
Republicans-Judiciary
The FBI hasn't responded to requests for comments on Jordan's allegations. On Thurs., however, a top Dept. of Justice official, Matthew Olsen, testified before Congress and asserted that "the threat we face from domestic violent extremism is elevated."
VOA
In his testimony, Olsen stated that DVE cases have more than doubled since 2020, with hundreds of cases stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.
VOA
Earlier this month, Wray and his British counterpart also suggested that domestic terrorists were becoming inspired by transnational incidents, including neo-Nazism and racist attacks in other nations.
Axios

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Democratic narrative

Jordan's allegations show Republicans trying to obfuscate the clear and present danger of right-wing extremists pushing racist, anti-government, and authoritarian agendas. Despite the GOP's supposed "whistleblowers," pro-Democracy Americans have clear evidence of right-wing extremism as shown by the Jan. 6 committee's investigations.

UPI

Republican narrative

If the allegations of Biden's FBI "cooking the books" on domestic extremist numbers are true, this is exceptionally concerning and needs to be investigated. It's clearly in the Democrats' interests to paint an alarmist picture of growing right-wing, white supremacist terror. With elections around the corner, they're trying to use hyperbole to scare Americans into voting blue.