The Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG) has spoken out against House Democrats seeking to discredit the testimony of former FBI Special Agen Steve Friend.
Friend, a whistleblower offering testimony related to an FBI investigation, received help in response to a House Judiciary Report from Democrats that sought to discredit him.
Look at this news article from The Daily Caller: DOJ Internal Watchdog Shuts Down House Democrats’ Claims Against FBI Whistleblower Steve Friend https://t.co/WNz1zItjHM
— Mike (@gupdiver) March 17, 2023
"Our understanding has been, and remains, that it is your office's intent to interview Friend in order to obtain a more complete understanding of his allegations and fully assess both his underlying disclosures as well as his retaliation claims," Empower Oversight President Tristan Leavitt wrote.
"However, last week Democrats on the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary provided a 'staff report' to the New York Times containing selectively edited partial transcript excerpts of Friend's testimony, along with various interview exhibits, and numerous mischaracterizations written by Democrat staff, including claims about meaning of the December 2, 2022 form letter from your office and the current status of Friend's case there."
A @JusticeOIG letter to @EMPOWR_us President @tristanleavitt contradicts House Democrats' false claim that it had "rejected" @RealStevefriend's concerns, confirms it will interview him.
DOJ watchdog seeks to interview FBI whistleblower, pushing back https://t.co/Widv0RSRWn… https://t.co/08OGsHdYHe pic.twitter.com/QdrWyMSbPS
— Jason Foster (@JsnFostr) March 16, 2023
The letter pushed back against Democrat claims in a previous letter.
"In early March, subcommittee Democrats released a staff report that claimed the office of DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz had rejected Friend's claims," Just the News reported.
"Following that report, watchdog group Empower Oversight asked Horowitz's office to clarify its position on his allegations. The group specifically sought to confirm that Horowitz intended both address Friend's original claims and his assertions that the bureau retaliated against him," it added.
The issue remains important as the House Oversight Committee has continued to move forward in its investigation over FBI agency bias in multiple matters.
For example, the FBI was involved in letters related to targeting parents who were vocal in school board meetings in 2021. Other concerns related to Hunter Biden's laptop are also under investigation.
While Democrats are pushing back on the FBI investigation this case offers one example of the attempt backfiring as Friend receives support in his whistleblower testimony.
