“Firebrand” Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz made clear his solution for federal law enforcement agencies like the FBI that have been “weaponized” against certain Americans.
The Republican lawmaker’s comments come on the heels of a trio of FBI whistleblowers who testified before a House committee on Thursday that the agency’s brass has directed agents to go after Catholics, conservatives, and others, including Jan. 6 suspects.
His remarks also come after a damning report from special counsel John Durham who said the bureau launched an investigation against then-GOP nominee Donald Trump allegedly for “colluding” with Russia to steal the 2016 election though there was never any evidence for it.
“We don’t throw people in jail in Congress that’s probably for good reason. We have to de-fang and defund the authorities that have been weaponized against the people, we have to get the FBI out of Washington D.C.,” he told Fox News’ Will Cain on Thursday.
“Much of what you heard today is that there are good FBI agents and analysts all around this country and there is pressure that comes out of headquarters and out of the Washington field office to do things that are against the law and the Constitution,” he continued.
“And then when people are brave enough to push back, they are crushed, we have seen how the FBI has targeted President Trump, how they’ve targeted anyone who believes in the 2nd Amendment, or build the wall, or for goodness sake, the Betsy Ross flag,” Gaetz said.
“But now we see they go after their own and they’re doing it to make an example of these people because they know that the corruption runs deep and they’re deeply afraid that more people will come forward, so it’s easier for them to torture Gerado Boyle to leave his children without jackets in a cold winter,” he said of one of the agents who testified.
“To leave Steve Friend without an ability to make an income,” he added, mentioning another agent who blew the whistle. “It’s easier to do that than to face the consequence of the corruption that they have allowed to seep into an agency that seems to have sown more evil than they have rooted out.”
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