🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is facing new scrutiny from conservatives following a report alleging that an agent scrubbed his social media of anti-Trump posts prior to receiving a promotion.
An FBI whistleblower reported in a disclosure to the House Judiciary Committee that Jeffrey Veltri, who was named this year as the special agent in charge of the agency's Miami field office, was told to remove social media posts opposing former President Donald Trump before the promotion, according to conservative-leaning The Washington Times. The Miami office covers areas of South Florida, including Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.
The report, which alleges FBI Director Christopher Wray, Deputy Director Paul Abbate and Executive Assistant Director Jennifer Moore were involved in telling him to take down his social media posts, sparked outrage among conservatives. The anger underscores the growing distrust of federal law enforcement agencies among the right. High-profile right-wing figures have accused the agencies of having a political bias in favor of Democrats while targeting Republicans for political purposes.
An FBI spokesperson told Newsweek on Tuesday afternoon that any suggestion employees have been influenced by political bias is absolutely false and that Veltri was selected through a competitive process.
"Repeated reporting on these outrageous allegations does not change the facts," the FBI said in a statement. "The FBI has not and will not retaliate against individuals who make protected whistleblower disclosures. We do not target or take adverse action against employees for exercising their First Amendment rights or for their political views. The FBI is proud to have many employees who are military veterans and we thank them for their service."
The disclosure alleges that Wray and other FBI leaders "wanted to ensure that Veltri appeared non-political." The exact content of his alleged social media posts were not clear.
Many conservatives voiced criticism of the agency following the report.
"The @FBI had one of their agents scrub his Facebook page of all of his anti-Trump posts before he was assigned to the Miami field office which covers @realDonaldTrump Mar-a-Lago home. Would someone please tell me how this agency is not political? Would someone please tell me why we are still funding this group of lying thugs that have a long, sordid history of setting up decent Americans for the sake of 'arrests'?" wrote conservative host Ann Vandersteel in a post to X, formerly Twitter.
Conservative commentator Steve Friend posted: "The @FBI is stealth promoting political marxists to positions of power. The bureau is a politicized weapon for the American left."
Some Republicans have accused the FBI and other federal agencies, such as the Department of Justice, of becoming weaponized against conservatives. House Republicans have created a Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, investigating alleged wrongdoing by federal agencies.
The FBI has denied weaponization allegations.
"The work the men and women of the FBI do to protect the American people goes way beyond one or two investigations that seem to capture all the headlines," Wray said in July.
Update 11/21/23, 12:55 p.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from the FBI.
About the writer
Andrew Stanton is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in Maine. His role is reporting on U.S. politics and social issues. ... Read more