Republicans Outraged at Trump-Appointed FBI Director: 'Impeach!'

Several Republicans have renewed their antipathy towards FBI Director Christopher Wray, despite the fact that he was appointed by Donald Trump in 2017 and overwhelmingly approved by Republicans.

On Friday morning, the Republican wing of the House Judiciary Committee released a report alleging to have uncovered evidence of politicization within the FBI and Department of Justice (DOJ). This came after months of attacks against both institutions by Republicans in the wake of the FBI's raid of Trump's Florida residence in Mar-a-Lago, which many conservatives attempted to spin as politically motivated.

In early August, FBI agents, with the approval of U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, searched the former president's home and seized top secret and other classified documents that the ex-president was holding onto after leaving office last year. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in regard to the documents and said that any classified documents he took had been declassified.

Spurred by the new report, several prominent Republican lawmakers and Trump loyalists took to Twitter to condemn the FBI and DOJ. Some even renewed their calls for the impeachment of Wray and Garland.

"Christopher Wray and Merrick Garland MUST be removed from their powerful positions," Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia tweeted Friday. "Republicans can not allow this abuse of power to stand. Impeach!!"

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the stewardship of Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, is broken," Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio tweeted.

"The FBI & DOJ will not be given a free pass," Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona tweeted.

However, the validity and gravity of the GOP's judiciary report have also been questioned by some. The committee and numerous GOP lawmakers have consistently referred to the release as a "1,000 Page Report," but an examination of the actual report reveals contents that are not as substantial as that phrase suggests. As highlighted by a Washington Post analysis, the report segment of the release totals less than 50 pages, with the rest made up of things like letters sent by committee members and pages of signatures included with those letters.

Wray has frequently been the target of conservative outrage in the wake of the FBI's Mar-a-Lago search. Numerous GOP lawmakers have pushed for impeachment proceedings to be opened against him should the party regain one or more bodies of Congress in Tuesday's midterm elections.

Accusations that Wray has led a politically motivated investigation against Trump have been criticized as illogical, given that he was appointed to the position of director by the former president and received overwhelming Republican support during his confirmation hearing. Wray was confirmed by a Senate vote of 92-5, with every Republican voting in favor of him and only five Democrats opposing his appointment.

FBI Says 'We Follow the Facts' Regardless of Politics

While the FBI has said that it operates apolitically, it is also noteworthy that Wray, and all other prior bureau directors, have been Republicans. This includes James Comey and Robert Mueller, who both clashed with Trump in various ways during his presidency.

"The FBI has testified to Congress and responded to letters from legislators on numerous occasions to provide an accurate accounting of how we do our work," the bureau told Newsweek on Saturday.

"The men and women of the FBI devote themselves to protecting the American people from terrorism, violent crime, cyber threats and other dangers. Put quite simply: we follow the facts without regard for politics. While outside opinions and criticism often come with the job, we will continue to follow the facts wherever they lead, do things by the book, and speak through our work," the agency added.

Updated, 11/05/2022, 6:07 p.m. EST: This article was updated to add a comment from the FBI.