House Democrats say one of the FBI agents who leaked information to House Republicans lied to Congress and is potentially guilty of perjury.
Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-Virgin Islands, in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland obtained by NBC News claims Garret O'Boyle lied to the House Judiciary Committee's Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government when he denied allegations he leaked information to Project Veritas.
"The FBI will crush you," O'Boyle famously testified May 18.
But there are indications now that whistleblowing might get him set up for a potential criminal investigation of lying to Congress, as the letter inform Garland of O'Boyle's alleged lie to Congress.
O'Boyle testified that the FBI was weaponizing investigations — criminal and intelligence gathering — against President Joe Biden's political enemies and said he was suspended for expressing concerns about a politically motivated investigation.
But now the FBI is telling House Judiciary and weaponization committees O'Boyle was suspended for leaking details of the FBI's investigation into Project Veritas' acquisition of a diary potentially tied to Ashley Biden.
O'Boyle contends he was suspended by the FBI before blowing the whistle publicly, but FBI executive assistant director for human resources Jennifer Moore testified to Congress that O'Boyle is suspected to have shared nonpublic FBI information before he was suspended.
O'Boyle was suspended by the FBI on Sept. 23, according to an attachment on Nadler's letter to Garland. Project Veritas severed ties with its founder James O'Keefe on Feb. 20.
"There was a level of urgency because of the identity of the individual, and it appeared that he was still accessing case files and information that he wasn't authorized to have access to and disclosing it because we had seen information obviously in public forums," Moore testified, according to NBC News.
O'Boyle, through a spokesman, denies he lied about his suspension to the committee or leaked any sensitive information to the media.
"Democrats are so desperate to distract from Justice Department wrongdoing that they're willing to embarrass themselves with frivolous attacks on brave FBI whistleblowers," Weaponization subcommittee Russell Dye wrote in a statement to NBC News. "Garret O'Boyle is a proud veteran and experienced law-enforcement officer who has served our nation with honor and distinction. His only crime was speaking out about FBI abuses, and because he exercised his conscience, shameless Democrats now seek to smear his name."
Committee Republicans also allege Democrats' letter to Garland on alleged perjury omitted Moore's testimony that declined to say if O'Doyle was the subject of the Project Veritas interview, refusing to discuss an ongoing investigation.
A Justice Department spokesperson confirmed to NBC it has received Nadler's letter, but declined to comment further. Project Veritas declined to comment to NBC.