Newly unearthed FBI documents, acquired by Bloomberg’s Jason Leopold, shed light on the outrage within the bureau’s ranks following the 2022 raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate.
A selection of these documents, procured through a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request, originated from the FBI’s Office of the Ombudsman, a secretive enclave where agents can voice their concerns confidentially.
“Did this really just happen? Am I dreaming? The FBI served a Search Warrant on a former president?” exclaimed one agent in an email to the FBI’s acting ombudsman Chauncenette Morey immediately after the raid.
“I’ve lost just about all faith in our leadership. Obviously they forgot Crossfire Hurricane,” the agent continued, referencing the FBI’s dubious surveillance of then-candidate Trump as part of the debunked “Russian collusion” probe. “If he took documents, give him a call and ask for them back. Like … Seriously? My own agency … a bunch of Democrat political hacks up top.”
The enraged agent further lamented the erosion of trust in FBI leadership, citing the bureau’s targeting of parents at school board meetings and its involvement in lopsided January 6 prosecutions.
“While you’re at it, please ask them why we break out all the tools to enforce a federal misdemeanor of someone walking through the Capitol on January 6th (track down through cell phone analysis and arrest), but people can violate 18 U.S.C 1507 every day and harass Supreme Court justices in broad daylight on the news and NOTHING is done about it,” the agent continued.
“I believe they won’t be able to answer it because the answer is that they are a bunch of political hacks of the Democratic Party.”
The incendiary email was subsequently forwarded to Deputy FBI Director Paul Abbate. “Just wanted you to be aware of the concerns/comments our office has received regarding the search of former President Trump,” Morey wrote.
Another FBI employee blasted the bureau for aiding in the transformation of the nation into a “Banana Republic,” branding the raid as a “disgrace.”
“What is the predication of the investigation involving the search? It better be more than putting a few documents in the archives or classified material of which the man could have declassed,” the agent queried. He then implored FBI leadership to restore faith in the agency, if possible.
Elsewhere in the trove of documents, it was revealed that the FBI orchestrated an interview between Director Wray and the Wall Street Journal to cultivate positive publicity. The bureau deemed the resulting article a success.
“This story worked out well,” remarked Wray’s Chief of Staff, Jonathan Lenzner in an August 20, 2022 email to top FBI officials. “Shows the director working hard to do the right thing, focusing on the work and the people. Also shows him trying to keep the FBI away from politics, though the story notes that is harder to accomplish.”
Lenzner continued, “The fact is the FBI is very much in the news, people are already talking about the Bureau and the Director, and some of it is not good.”
“This story humanizes the Director and gives an inside look at how he and the FBI are focused on the work, and how we are not deterred by the drama.”
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