FBI ‘Called Bluff’ on Jim Jordan Hearing, Says Ex-Asst. Director

Former FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi was critical Thursday of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and other House Republicans after the FBI sent a letter to Jordan saying that two of his witnesses, who would go on to testify before the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, had their security clearances revoked in May.

The letter says that former FBI agent Stephen Friend and current agent Marcus Allen, who is now suspended without pay, were stripped of their clearances due to security concerns, The Washington Post reported late Wednesday. Each were summoned to Congress by Republicans to claim they faced retaliation by the bureau in part for how they responded to the FBI’s investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection. Yet Friend, for instance, has embraced Jan. 6 conspiracy theories and has even been paid by Trump loyalist Kash Patel, according to Democrats on the committee, The New York Times reported in March.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Deadline White House, Figliuzzi was asked by anchor Nicolle Wallace about the letter from FBI acting assistant director Christopher Dunham, as well as a letter to Friend from Jennifer Moore, the FBI’s executive assistant director of human resources, explaining his clearance revocation.

Read more at The Daily Beast.