Top GOP Lawmaker Says FBI Leaders Should ‘Resign, Be Accountable’ for Wrongdoings

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) during a hearing in Washington on July 27, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) has called for FBI leaders to resign following a series of alleged wrongdoings and scandals and voiced his support for an outside commission to investigate the agency if the GOP wins control of the House in the November midterm elections.

In an interview with Fox News on Sunday, Comer said that there is currently a “huge problem” with the FBI and that the American people have lost confidence in the agency due to its increasing politicization.

“It’s been politicized for at least six years now, and it’s going in the wrong direction,” Comer said. “Every day another report comes out that’s more damaging to the FBI. We certainly need to reform the FBI. We certainly need new leadership at the top.”

His comments come after a senior FBI analyst revealed on Oct. 11 that the agency offered former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele $1 million as an incentive if he could prove the allegations made in his infamous dossier against former President Donald Trump.

A report published by the Department of Justice Inspector General’s Office on Sept. 29 also found that lawyers within the agency’s National Security and Cyber Law Branch (NSCLB) had “inappropriately opined” on matters typically reserved for federal prosecutors.

FBI Whistleblowers Coming Forward

Comer noted that dozens of FBI agents have come forward in recent months to reveal alleged wrongdoings at the agency, which he said was encouraging.

“I think the majority of the FBI agents in America want to do a good job, and we honestly need an FBI, but we don’t need the leadership we have now. They should resign. They should be held accountable for wrongdoing. And we’ve got to repair and reform the FBI moving forward,” Comer said.

When asked if he would support an outside commission to investigate the agency, Comer said he “obviously would,” although he noted that it would depend on who was on the commission.

Comer is widely expected to be named the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee if Republicans prove to be successful in next month’s midterms.

He told Fox News that he would prioritize a probe into President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, and brother, James Biden.

“You look at the facts with Hunter Biden and Jim Biden, the entire Biden crime family, as I would call it, they have been influence-peddling for a decade,” he said. “And Hunter Biden’s committed serious crimes,” Comer added, noting that despite 150 suspicious activity reports tied to either Hunter Biden or James Biden being flagged by U.S. banks, the FBI took no action.

Hunter Biden ‘Threat to National Security’

Comer added that Republicans winning majority control of the House would grant them the power to subpoena FBI Assistant Special Agent Timothy Thibault, the top FBI official who left the bureau last month. Republicans have accused Thibault of shutting down an investigation into Hunter Biden’s laptop.

A spokesperson for Thibault told The Epoch Times on Aug. 30 that he was not involved in the investigation into Hunter Biden and “was not involved in any decisions related to any laptop that may be at issue in that investigation, and he did not seek to close the investigation.”

Comer said he believes Hunter Biden is a threat to national security and that Republican lawmakers fear he may have compromised the president.

“So a lot of the bad policies, the energy policies, the foreign policies that Joe Biden has enacted that put America last, we believe this was done because he’s compromised because of his family’s shady business dealings with our adversaries,” Comer told Fox News.

The Kentucky lawmaker added that he is already working with FBI whistleblowers and is “further along than a lot of people realize” in terms of trying to hold individuals at the agency accountable for their wrongdoings.

“We’re not going to let up. But we have to have subpoena power. So these Nov​. 8 elections are crucial to be able to give the American people the answers they want,” he added.