Dec 7, 2017

Republicans accuse FBI of being too political

FBI Director Christopher Wray Photo: Jose Luis Magana / AP

Republicans want the FBI to stay out of politics while Democrats are asking the bureau's director, Christopher Wray, to stand up to the president, Politico reports.

Why it matters: Trump attacked the FBI on Twitter last weekend — "Tainted (no, very dishonest?) FBI 'agent's role in Clinton probe under review.'" He also criticized the two agents who were recently let go from Bob Mueller's probe for sending anti-Trump tweets.

Wray told lawmakers on Thursday, "The work that we do is not easy. But the FBI is passionate and mission-focused."Republican Judiciary Chair Rep. Bob Goodlatte: "It is absolutely unacceptable for FBI employees to permit their own political predilections to contaminate any investigation. Even the appearance of impropriety will devastate the FBI's reputation."

Ranking Democrat Rep. Jerrold Nadler: "It cannot be a coincidence that you sent this message to your agents just hours after President Trump launched an online tantrum aimed largely at the bureau as an institution... You should do more than send a private email to your employees . You must stand up to the president of the United States."

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Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

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