Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) claimed he hasn’t seen any “proof” that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is politicized against members of the Republican Party.
Raskin appeared on State of the Union Sunday following President-elect Donald Trump’s announcement that Kash Patel would take over as FBI Director, which was celebrated by some and dreaded by others. Patel previously served as the chief of staff to the Department of Defense under Trump’s first administration, and is a welcome appointee by many within the GOP.
RECESS APPOINTMENTS: HOW TRUMP HOPES TO SKIP SENATE CONFIRMATIONS AND FILL HIS CABINET
“Do you think there are any issues inside the FBI around politicization, as many who voted for Donald Trump seem to say?” CNN anchor Kasie Hunt asked Raskin.
“Well, undoubtedly, if you look at it historically, for example, during the [Counter Intelligence Program] period, the FBI really was weaponized against Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement and the peace movement. There was decades of the FBI being basically used as a political instrument,” Raskin said. “And so I haven’t seen what the proof is that the FBI has been weaponized against a political party or the Department of Justice. Of course, this Department of Justice has brought charges against a Democratic U.S. senator in New Jersey, a Democratic congressman in Texas.”
HOW TRUMP’S PROMISE TO ABOLISH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION WOULD WORK
Raskin referred to former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who was federally charged with bribery, and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who is under federal indictment along with his wife. Their charges include bribery, money laundering, and acting as a foreign agent for the Azerbaijani government and a Mexican bank.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“Some people just seem to think that it should go only in one direction, and, if it doesn’t, then somehow it’s politicized. And I think that’s what they mean when they talk about politicization and the deep state,” Raskin said. “I mean, the deep state, nobody’s ever defined it. Apparently, it just means anybody who doesn’t do the will of Donald Trump.”
Patel would be replacing Christopher Wray, who began his post in 2017. FBI Directors have a tradition of serving 10-year terms. However, Trump fired Wray’s predecessor, James Comey, four years into his post. Patel would be the ninth director of the bureau.