Thirty former FBI agents have sent messages in support of suspended FBI whistleblower Stephen Friend, according to the New York Post.
Columnist Miranda Devine said the Post obtained the messages, which came from a retired deputy assistant director, a former head of counterterrorism, and others.
Republican senators have accused the FBI leadership of retaliation against Friend, who claimed the agency is creating misleading domestic terrorism crime statistics.
Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., have sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday, asserting that bureau leadership wrongly disciplined the FBI agent who raised concerns about cases related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021.
The senators included a copy of Friend's whistleblower declaration in their letter. Friend said he was suspended by the FBI for speaking up and refusing to participate in investigations related to the events of Jan. 6.
And the messages from the former agents showed additional support for Friend.
"It's time to stop the FBI from being the enforcer of a political party's ideology," says Ernie Tibaldi, a retired agent from San Francisco. "We need to re-establish the FBI as the apolitical and independent law enforcement entity that it always was."
And Terry Turchie, former deputy assistant director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, added: "Moral courage, leadership in the face of pressure, and true to the oath of office FBI agents take to defend the United States Constitution and protect America and its citizens.
"I am beyond proud to offer him my support in the decisions he had to make."
Former SWAT team member, retired special agent Bob Fricke, said: "When I see the FBI using extreme SWAT tactics on elderly and other citizens who pose no physical threat, it makes me sick. It has to be purely political.
"I participated in many searches authorized by legally obtained search warrants … [all] included serious felonies. The only time I recall participating in a pre-dawn raid in which we all wore body armor and needed SWAT team … assistance involved an extremely violent motorcycle gang …
"I believe special agent Friend is an American hero. He is a shining example of what I attempt to inculcate in my students, honor above self."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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