The FBI has been a big topic of concern for many Americans claiming that the Department of Justice has been weaponized for political purposes. On the upside, the bureau has reportedly cut back on using warrantless searches of electronic communications. The Wall Street Journal reports that according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI conducted a whopping 3 to 3.4 million searches prior to 2021.
This number greatly decreased in 2021 when they only conducted about 120,000 warrantless searches of phone calls, emails, and text messages in 2021. A senior official at the government agency claimed that the bureau underwent reforms restricting their searches and investigations.
The FBI has come under scrutiny for years but was particularly under the microscope after it raided the home of former President Donald Trump in search of classified documents. The raid was reportedly the first of its kind in American history and prompted many conservatives to note the uneven application of the law when classified documents were found in President Biden’s possession.
Attorney General Merrick Garland reportedly began an investigation into Biden, but his home was not raided. Garland admitted that he authorized the search warrant, which further resulted in speculation that the raid was politically motivated.
Trump’s team alleged that “leaks to favored media outlets have provided ever-changing, and inaccurate, ‘justifications’ for the politicized conduct of the FBI and Department of Justice,” according to Newsweek.
The division of the FBI that is taking care of the investigation into Trump’s classified documents was involved in vetting the now-debunked Steele Dossier. The operation that targeted Trump’s alleged ties to the Kremlin was dubbed “Crossfire Hurricane” under disgraced FBI Director Peter Strzok. A member of the team, Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Brian Auten, is handling the materials despite the revelation that he dismissed some evidence against Hunter Biden as “Russian disinformation” during Biden’s 2020 campaign, according to American Pigeon.
