As the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, continues to voice his criticism of the FBI and the Department of Justice, accusing them of political bias in law enforcement and the justice system.
He now aims to take a significant step to insulate the bureau from the political turbulence of the country’s capital.
In pursuit of this goal, Jordan has expressed his backing for a proposal to shift the FBI headquarters, advocating for existing facilities in Huntsville, Alabama, as a potential site.
He believes this move could help reduce political influence on the bureau, as stated in a recent letter he sent to the House Appropriations Committee.
He proposed that the House leverage its financial authority to facilitate necessary changes. The FBI is already considering a move from the capital to a suburban area.
In his letter to the House Appropriations, Jordan wrote, “There’s an ongoing concern within the Committee about the federal law enforcement politicization within the FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Centralizing FBI operations in the National Capital Region has resulted in task duplication better suited for individual field offices, diminished autonomy for local field offices, and allowed inappropriate political influence to taint law enforcement activities and investigations.”
He also recommended wording for the 2024 appropriations bills to address the bureau’s proposed suburban relocation and the practicalities of an alternate destination.
Jordan wrote, “None of the funds allocated in this Act may be used for constructing a new FBI headquarters.
Furthermore, the FBI is instructed to present an operational plan within 90 days to relocate the FBI Headquarters away from the National Capital Region.
The operational plan should consider the available resources and infrastructure at the Huntsville, Alabama’s current “FBI’s Redstone Arsenal Campus facility.
The FBI maintains a presence in Huntsville through its Redstone Arsenal facility, which has been expanding for half a century.
Over a thousand employees perform operational and enterprise roles at the site.
The state-of-the-art facilities at FBI Redstone Arsenal open fresh opportunities to enhance our capabilities, cultivate new partnerships, progress our mission, and advance our vision of becoming the FBI’s innovation and technology center of excellence.”
