A Republican-backed subcommittee formed to examine the alleged "weaponization" of the Justice Department began its first public hearing Thursday.
The hearing features testimony from two different panels, the first of which will include remarks from Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Johnson (R-WI), along with former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (I-HI), and the second will entail testimony from two former FBI agents about alleged politicization at the bureau.
Here are three things to watch in the hearing.
EX-FBI AGENTS DETAIL 'POLITICIZATION' OF AGENCY AHEAD OF BOMBSHELL GOP HEARING
Origins of alleged FBI politicization
As witnesses lay out the extent of the alleged politicization of the bureau before the panel, they are likely to recount their experiences with the FBI and detail how the atmosphere there changed over time. This will likely paint a picture of how far back in time the alleged politicization transpired.
One of the witnesses, former agent Nicole Parker, who served at the bureau from 2011 to 2022, will recall how her view of the FBI changed over time, according to a copy of her testimony obtained by the Washington Examiner.
"The FBI became politically weaponized, starting from the top in Washington and trickling down to the field offices," she said, per the transcript. "Although FBI employees have their First Amendment rights, they are not at the liberty to allow their personal political views or preferences to determine their course of action or inaction in any investigation."
Another witness, former agent Thomas J. Baker, will tell the panel that he believes some of the "weaponization" stems from the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
"I spent many years with the FBI and am deeply troubled by this loss of faith. Specific lapses have come to light, many of which will be focused on by this panel. But why did they happen? What changed? The answer begins days after the 9/11 attacks with a cultural change at the bureau," he will say in his testimony, per the transcript.
Targeting of conservatives
An overarching theme of the hearing will be how the FBI used its sweeping powers to target conservatives. This will range from the scrutiny of anti-abortion activists to the alleged targeting of parents who protested school board meetings to the Mar-a-Lago search last August.
Much of the Republicans' disillusionment with the bureau was fueled by its sprawling investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Conservatives have long railed against the steady drip of leaks to the media politically damaging to the Trump administration and the bureau's handling of the inquiry more broadly.
Baker will strike a critical tone against former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who later spearheaded the bureau's investigation into Russian interference. A preview of his testimony revealed that he would rip into the FBI's Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant against ex-Trump adviser Carter Page.
"This use of FISA against a U.S. citizen is what presents a fundamental threat to Americans’ civil liberties," Baker will say, per a transcript. "It essentially suspends the Constitution. In 1978, reforms in response to the Church Committee’s revelations gave us the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. For more than two decades, it was used solely, as its name implies, to gather intelligence on foreign agents resident in this country."
A preview of what's to come
Grassley and Johnson have spent months investigating the FBI, and the other witnesses have analyzed the situation extensively. Thursday's hearing will offer a peek at that prior work and set the tone for the panel's investigation into the bureau.
It will also set the stage for subsequent hearings and investigations by the subcommittee.
Certain themes will likely begin to emerge, such as a likely push to reform the FISA process and make other changes to stamp out "weaponization" in the future. Most of those possible reforms will likely run into hurdles from the Democratic-controlled Senate and Biden administration.
The hearing will also draw a reaction from 2024 Republican contenders such as former President Donald Trump, who has long raged against the bureau over the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as the Mar-a-Lago search.
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House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) is leading the subcommittee hearing Thursday. He also fired off subpoenas demanding documents about the alleged targeting of parents at local school board meetings.
Witnesses will likely not face questions during the first hearing, according to Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA). Democrats have begun criticizing the panel, accusing Republicans of blaming the FBI rather than accepting accountability for their actions.