FBI Director Christopher Wray's testimony that the FBI had passed requests from Ukraine's intelligence agency, SBU, to U.S. social media companies concerning accounts allegedly spreading Russian disinformation revealed an "impeachable" violation of the First Amendment, retired U.S. Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt told Newsmax on Thursday.
"The director took an oath to the Constitution, much the same as I took, to defend and protect our Constitution, and that includes the First Amendment," Holt said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "If you're coordinating with a foreign intelligence service of any kind, friendly or foe, for whatever reason to suppress American speech, to me that is reprehensible, and it's impeachable."
During the hearing, several Republican committee members challenged Wray to justify the FBI's work with the Ukrainian intelligence agency, after a report from the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government Monday revealed that after the Russians invaded Ukraine, the SBU had worked with the FBI to forward the lists of accounts to the social media companies, reported The Federalist.
The FBI, according to the report, forwarded requests for accounts to be removed, but many turned out to belong to Americans.
When Judiciary Committee members questioned Wray about the report, he responded that the Russian invasion of Ukraine cut off the country's communications, leading the SBU to ask the FBI to contact companies.
Holt also on Thursday spoke about reports that senior Russian Gen. Ivan Popov was dismissed after accusing the leadership of Moscow's Defense Ministry of failing to provide sufficient support to his troops.
Popov, the commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army, which has been part of the fighting in the Zaporizhzhia region, said in a Telegraph post that he raised questions about "the lack of counter-battery combat, the absence of artillery reconnaissance stations, and the mass deaths and injuries of our brothers from enemy artillery."
But Holt said the dismissal had "much more to do" with the revolt started last month by Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, which has led to 13 flag officers "still in a suspended status or detained."
"We had a submarine commander captain who was assassinated two days ago," said Holt, adding that Popov will be the "next one they're looking out [with] loyalty checks. ... This is exactly from the Prigozhin incident."
Holt also commented on President Joe Biden's actions this week at the NATO summit in Lithuania, and the NATO talks on the Ukraine war that did not include how to end it.
"The first thing I said was 'My, my, what a long way we are from where we said maybe just a small incursion,'" said Holt. "We've [got to] get all the players together because we know where this could end up going."
He also said there was "sheer enmity and anger" in Biden's speech.
"We didn't see 32 nations sitting down and saying, OK, we're with you on security guarantees," he said. "We saw the G-7 do that."
Biden also made several blunders in his speech at NATO, and Holt said that the world looks at the U.S. by "policy, action, and deed," and when its representative is weak, that "emboldens those in Tehran."
"It emboldens those in Pyongyang and Beijing that this is their opportunity with the United States, and we may not get another one like this," Holt said. "I'm very concerned when we project this type of weakness."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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