House Republicans continue to signal plans to seek accountability from the Biden administration and the intelligence community following the midterm elections which will see the GOP retake a small majority in the lower chamber when the next Congress is seated in January.
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee sent a formal notice to former FBI senior officer Timothy Thibault on Friday that puts him on notice of what is coming when they have control over the panel again.
Timothy Thibault’s testimony is necessary for our oversight.
You can be assured that the Committee will continue to pursue this matter into the 118th Congress, including by compulsory process if necessary. pic.twitter.com/YKx0ov0zsf
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) November 26, 2022
The committee advised Thibault they will be calling him to testify as part of their upcoming investigation into “abuse and misconduct” by several top FBI agents. Thibault ignored a request sent by GOP members of the committee in September for a voluntary meeting. In January, they will have the power to issue a compulsory subpoena.
The letter was signed by ranking committee member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) along with Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Mike Johnson (R-LA). Jordan is virtually certain to be named the next chair of the committee after the new Congress is sworn in.
Thibault has been on Jordan’s radar since at least July. Jordan revealed that he had been approached by an FBI whistleblower who advised that Thibault had been putting pressure on agents to inflate the existence and nature of “domestic violent extremism” investigations.
At about the same time, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) reported that he was independently approached by other whistleblowers who said Thibault had ordered an investigation into Hunter Biden be spiked in October 2020, just weeks before the presidential election between Joe Biden and President Donald Trump.
Thibault thereafter resigned from the FBI in August. He then hired an attorney who described his sudden resignation as a “voluntary retirement.” The attorney also said that Thibault would not voluntarily talk with House Republicans because it appeared that Jordan wanted to ask about “sensitive information.”
A senior Republican House aide told Breitbart News that the committee would issue subpoenas as needed after retaking the chair. A contempt of Congress referral for failure to comply would be the next step taken in the event that Thibault does not then cooperate.
The aide added: “Good luck to Thibault. He’s going to need it.”
