Gaetz, Jordan give Chris Wray deadline to explain ‘special portal’ to FBI from top Democrat law firm
Robert JonathanStaff Writer
Robert@bizpacreview.com
U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) insist that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has some explaining to do.
“We have learned that since March 2012, the FBI approved and facilitated a Secure Work Environment at Perkins Coie’s Washington, D.C. office, which continues to be operational,” the ultra-MAGA duo reportedly wrote to the FBI. “In a letter dated May 25, 2022, the law firm confirmed and acknowledged the arrangement.”
Perkins Coie is the Democrat-connected law firm where Michael Sussmann, the Hillary Clinton campaign attorney who was found not guilty on Tuesday of lying to the FBI by a liberal D.C. federal jury, was a former partner, in a case filed by Russiagate Special Counsel John Durham.
Gaetz had appeared on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” on the Fox News Channel to discuss this unprecedented arrangement between a federal law enforcement agency and a legal practice closely affiliated with the Democrat Party that was allegedly disclosed by a whistleblower.
“Our concern is that politically motivated dirt was being converted into politically motivated investigations. That’s why Jim Jordan and I are making demands for answers on [FBI Director] Christopher Wray immediately, and it’s my hope certainly that we shut this facility down,” Gaetz told Carlson on Tuesday evening, claiming that election lawyer Sussmann was allegedly and inexplicably the person in charge of the workspace for a period of time.
“The Democratic Party shouldn’t have this special access, special portal, to the FBI, especially knowing what we do now that they were often trying to take this opposition research and then use that for law-enforcement and counter-intelligence purposes,” he added.
“The congressmen’s letter gives Wray until June 15 to provide information on the workspace, including an explanation as to why the FBI approved it in the first place, as well as all documents and communications referring or relating to the establishment, maintenance, and accreditation of the workspace,” Fox News reported.
According to a statement from the FBI, however, there is nothing to see here.
“The FBI complies with the law and security policies and works with the Department of Justice to serve classified, Court-authorized legal process necessary to support national security investigations. In certain instances, the FBI coordinates with non-government, third-party entities, such as law firms, that represent service providers which receive these classified Court orders,” the agency told Fox News.
“This includes providing access to private attorneys which represent the service providers in satisfaction of their legal rights. As part of this, the FBI ensures that any storage of classified orders meets stringent security protocols required for such documents,” the statement added.
“I have spoken to former federal prosecutors on the Judiciary Committee and throughout the country, and I’ve not heard any describe a relationship like this with a private law firm,” Gaetz told Carlson, however.
Perkins Coie has not provided a comment to Fox News as yet about this scenario.
Setting aside for the moment the FBI’s justification for the unusual setup, it appears to give credence to arguments from conservatives that the left has weaponized the legal system against those they disagree with politically to an extraordinary degree. As such, a two-tier system of justice is a byproduct, with the Sussmann acquittal perhaps as an example.
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