According to Breitbart News, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) urged former FBI agent Timothy Thibault on Friday to “immediately comply” with the House Judiciary Committee by showing up “promptly” for a recorded interview as a part of the panels inquiry into Thibault’s alleged wrongdoing.
Jordan has been after Thibault, a former assistant special agent in charge at the FBI’s Washington Field Office, ever since he was first made aware of his alleged pressure on FBI employees to fabricate “domestic violent extremism” cases by an FBI whistleblower last summer.
Around the same time, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) disclosed that Thibault had allegedly ended an inquiry into President Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden in Oct. 2020, weeks before Joe Biden’s presidential campaign.
Thibault departed the FBI in August, claiming through his attorney that he had “voluntarily resigned” and that he had “not been fired, not forced to leave, and not requested to retire” as a result of any charges. These and other claims have raised concerns about Thibault’s performance at the FBI.
Jordan, who is the Judiciary Committee’s ranking member, then contacted Thibault three times to get a transcript of their conversation and to ask him to save any records that would be helpful to the committee’s investigation. Jordan is now threatening to utilize his subpoena authority against the former FBI officer if he does not comply with his demand in his capacity as committee head.
“You still haven’t complied with our demand to show up for a transcribed interview with the Committee, so we’ll say it again: This obstruction must end,” Jordan said in his letter to Thibault on Friday, adding that he needed Thibault to show up “promptly” for an interview.
Jordan initially received a response from lawyer Charles Duross of the firm Morrison & Foerster on Oct. 7. He informed Jordan that Thibault could not comply with the original request because it involved “sensitive” material, to which Jordan opposed.
According to letters acquired by Breitbart News, Duross responded to Jordan’s reservations on Dec. 13 and expressed a greater readiness to comply but still leaning on his worry over sensitive material.
Duross penned:
“We continue to be worried that the topic of your request for an interview relates to confidential information for law enforcement or ongoing investigations. Mr. Thibault does want to help with your inquiry, but he also respects any worries the FBI may have about disclosing confidential information regarding ongoing investigations or law enforcement. Our client is hopeful that there will be a way ahead to cooperate with your inquiry and secure ongoing investigations and sensitive law enforcement material since we have spoken with the FBI’s Office of Congressional Affairs to resolve these difficulties.”
In his letter from October, Duross stated that he thought “any review of Mr. Thibault’s tenure at the FBI will reach the conclusion that his supervision, leadership, as well as decision-making, were consistent with the FBI’s highest of standards for integrity and ethics.”
Thibault is the committee’s highest priority, according to a GOP aide with knowledge of the situation, who referred to him as “public enemy number one” in an interview with Breitbart News.
