Jordan Demands Response From Ex-FBI Official Accused Of Misconduct
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has demanded that former FBI official Timothy Thibault “immediately cooperate” with the House Judiciary Committee, requesting that he “promptly” appear for a transcribed interview for the committee’s investigation into misconduct allegations.
Jordan has been focusing on Thibault, a former assistant special agent in charge at the FBI’s Washington Field Office, since an FBI whistleblower informed him last summer that Thibault had pressured FBI agents to inflate the agency’s cases of “domestic violent extremism.”
Around that time, whistleblowers also informed Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) that Thibault had shut down a line of investigation into Hunter Biden in October 2020 — coincidentally just a few weeks before the 2020 election that his father, President Joe Biden, was running in.
Following revelations of the numerous allegations against him, Thibault left the FBI in August. The disgraced former FBI official claimed via his attorney that he had “voluntarily retired,” adding that he “was not fired, not forced to retire, and not asked to retire” because of any allegations.
While serving as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Jordan contacted Thibault on three occasions to sit for a transcribed interview — while also requesting that he preserve any documents relevant to the committee’s work.
As he is now the chairman of the committee, Jordan is threatening to use subpoena power against Thibault if he does not cooperate with his requests.
“To date, you have not complied with our request that you appear for a transcribed interview before the Committee. This obstruction must stop,” the Ohio congressman wrote in a letter to Thibault on Friday, adding that he wanted the disgraced former FBI official to appear for an interview “promptly.”
Jordan first received a response on October 7, in which attorney Charles Duross from the firm Morrison & Foerster claimed that Thibault could not honor the congressman’s request because it related to “sensitive” information.
Jordan objected to the refusal, prompting another response from Duross on December 13 conveying some willingness to cooperate while still pushing his claims about sensitive information.
“Regarding your request for an interview, we remain concerned that the subject matter pertains to sensitive law enforcement information and/or pending investigations,” the attorney wrote. “Mr. Thibault does want to cooperate with your investigation while, at the same time, respecting concerns the FBI may have about the disclosure of sensitive law enforcement information or pending investigations. We have engaged with the FBI’s Office of Congressional Affairs to address these issues, and our client is hopeful that there will be a pathway forward to cooperate with your investigation and protect pending investigations and sensitive law enforcement information.”
Duross went on to reiterate that he believed “any review of Mr. Thibault’s tenure at the FBI will conclude that his supervision, leadership, and decision making were consistent with the FBI’s highest standards for ethics and integrity.”
According to a GOP aide familiar with the matter, Thibault is a top priority for the Judiciary Committee, with the aide describing the disgraced former FBI official as “public enemy number one.”
