FBI News
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a major focus of The Daily Signal, with reporting, analysis, and commentary on investigations, surveillance, and political controversies.
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news
Merrick Garland Directs FBI to Target Parents Responsible for ‘Disturbing Spike in Harassment, Intimidation’ Against Schools
Attorney General Merrick Garland called on the FBI to “use its authority” against parents who threaten or use violence against public school officials in a Monday memorandum. Garland said there has been a “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff.” He said he is directing the FBI… -
opinion
FBI Statistics Show a 30% Increase in Murder in 2020. More Evidence That Defunding Police Wasn’t a Good Idea.
The surge in violent crime over the past year—murders in particular—has been astounding and historic. The numbers back this up and paint a grim picture. Property crime is generally down, but violent crime is way, way up. The murder rate rose by nearly 30% in 2020, more than any other time in the last half-century…. -
news
7 Highlights From Oversight Hearing on FBI and Capitol Riot
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol was a planned act of domestic terrorism, but didn’t have definitive answers in his Senate testimony for why security broke down during the riot. Wray was testifying at a congressional hearing for the first time since a mob breached the Capitol,… -
news
FBI Seeking Tips to Identify Members of Mob Who Stormed Capitol
The FBI’s office in Washington, D.C., is seeking the public’s help to identify members of the pro-Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday. “The FBI is seeking information that will assist in identifying individuals who are actively instigating violence in Washington, D.C. The FBI is accepting tips and digital media depicting rioting… -
news
3 Keys to What’s Next in Probe of Why FBI Investigated Trump
The appointment of John Durham as special counsel likely means his probe of potential misconduct by FBI and other government officials in beginning the Trump-Russia investigation will continue well into 2021, regardless of who the president is. One former FBI lawyer, Kevin Clinesmith, already has pleaded guilty to making false statements to obtain a warrant… -
news
Charges Possible in Probe of FBI, Attorney General Says
Attorney General William Barr said Wednesday that more charges are possible in the investigation led by John Durham, the U.S. attorney investigating the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. Barr was asked about the status of the probe during an interview with NBC News. He declined to say whether Durham, the U.S. attorney for Connecticut, is… -
news
3 Key Points in Newly Released FBI Documents on Foreign Bid to Influence Clinton Campaign
The Senate Judiciary Committee released declassified documents this week that showed a major difference in how the FBI—under the leadership of then-Director James Comey—treated investigations into foreign influence on the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The FBI provided a “defensive briefing” to the Clinton campaign when it was clear a foreign government… -
news
Ex-FBI Lawyer to Plead Guilty in Probe of Russia Investigation’s Origins
A former FBI attorney will plead guilty to making false statements in documents used to obtain a surveillance warrant against former Trump aide Carter Page, his lawyer told the Associated Press on Friday. The guilty plea from Kevin Clinesmith is the first legal action taken in an investigation led by John Durham, a U.S. attorney… -
news
4 Takeaways From Top Obama DOJ Official’s Testimony on ‘Rogue’ FBI
A top Obama Justice Department official told a Senate committee Wednesday that she wasn’t aware of many aspects of the FBI’s initial investigation of any connection between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign, and was shocked by others. Sally Yates, deputy attorney general during the Obama administration, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about issues… -
opinion
Why Didn’t the FBI Record the Flynn Interview?
There are so many angles to the FBI-Michael Flynn imbroglio, and most have been covered in great depth across a divergent set of viewpoints. But one aspect that has not been covered, and that opens up a wider lens into FBI policy, is the fact that the FBI refuses to audiotape, much less videotape, interviews… -
news
Sen. Lindsey Graham Sets Vote to Subpoena Comey, Brennan, Others Involved in FBI Surveillance
The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on June 4 whether to authorize subpoenas for documents and testimony from more than 50 current or former government officials, including James Comey and John Brennan, as part of the panel’s investigation into abuse of the surveillance process during Crossfire Hurricane. The committee will debate and vote June 4… -
news
Text Messages Reveal Peter Strzok Intervened in FBI’s Planned Closure of Michael Flynn Investigation
Former FBI counterintelligence official Peter Strzok intervened at the last minute in early 2017 to stop the bureau from closing an investigation into Michael Flynn, the incoming national security adviser, according to government files unsealed Thursday. The FBI was investigating Flynn and several other Trump campaign associates at the time for possible links to Russia… -
opinion
FBI Ratchets Up Efforts to Combat Crimes Exploiting COVID-19 Fears
The country is (rightly) laser-focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the president’s daily press briefings with the coronavirus task force led by Vice President Mike Pence have been a ratings hit because people want to know what’s going on. The American public is leaning on our medical superheroes (the medical practitioners and researchers) to lead… -
opinion
FBI’s Failure to Be ‘Scrupulously Accurate’ With FISA Information Undermines Public Trust and the Process
According to a report this week from the Department of Justice’s inspector general, the FBI failed to be “scrupulously accurate” with information presented to a secret federal court to seek national security-related warrants pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. But a closer read of the report on the FBI’s relationship with the Foreign Intelligence… -
news
6 Key Points From Report to Secret Court on FBI Spying
A former Obama administration lawyer who long defended investigating President Donald Trump’s Russian ties and spying on a campaign aide concludes in a new report that the FBI’s proposed reforms are “insufficient” to prevent abuses from occurring again. The new criticism follows Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s scathing report last month on the FBI’s… -
news
Mark Meadows: GOP Will Appeal to Surveillance Court Over Choice to Oversee FBI Reforms
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Monday that congressional Republicans plan to appeal to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) over its choice to oversee the FBI’s surveillance reforms in the wake of a damning inspector general’s report regarding the bureau’s wiretapping of Carter Page. In an interview with journalist Sara Carter, Meadows criticized the FISC’s pick of… -
news
Investigation of Trump-Russia Probe Looks at ‘Actors,’ Agencies Beyond FBI
Attorney General William Barr provided new details of a federal prosecutor's criminal investigation of the origins of the Trump-Russia probe in an interview on Fox News Channel, saying the prosecutor is looking into the activities of federal agencies outside the FBI as well as those of “private actors.” “He’s not just looking at the FBI,”… -
news
Attorney General Dismisses Comey’s ‘Nonsense’ on FBI Probe of Trump Campaign
Attorney General William Barr hit back in an interview at James Comey over the former FBI director’s attempts to downplay his role in Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI's counterintelligence investigation of the Trump campaign. In an interview Wednesday with Fox News Channel, Barr disputed Comey’s claim in a “Fox News Sunday” interview that the FBI investigation… -
news
Watchdog: FBI Should Have Considered Shutting Down Trump Campaign Probe
Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz said Wednesday that the FBI should have considered shutting down its investigation and surveillance of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page much earlier than the bureau did, because the probe was not yielding any evidence that he was working as a Russian agent. “If you’re getting information that isn’t advancing… -
news
6 Big Takeaways From Watchdog’s Senate Testimony About FBI Spying on Trump Campaign
The Justice Department’s inspector general, appearing Wednesday before a Senate committee, explained his findings of 17 inaccuracies and omissions by FBI agents in seeking a secret court’s approval to spy on a Trump campaign aide. Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report, released Monday, concluded that the Obama administration’s FBI failed to follow regular safeguards in obtaining…