by Ben Whedon
As House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, continues to blast the FBI and Department of Justice over alleged politicization of the justice system and law enforcement, he is eyeing a major move to separate the bureau from the intrigue of the nation’s capital.
To that end, he has thrown his support behind an effort to relocate the FBI headquarters, pointing to existing facilities in Huntsville, Ala., in a bid to depoliticize the bureau, he wrote in a Tuesday letter to the House Appropriations Committee recommending that the House use the “power of the purse” to advance key reforms. The bureau currently seeks to move out of the capital and into the suburbs.
“The Committee remains concerned about the politicization of federal law enforcement power emanating from FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.,” he wrote. “The centralization of FBI operations in the National Capitol Region has led to duplication of activity best left to the respective field offices, contributed to reduced autonomy in local field offices, and allowed improper political influence to taint law enforcement investigations and activity.”
He further suggested language for the 2024 appropriations bills to address the bureau’s proposed move to the suburbs and the logistics of an alternate destination.
“None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to build a new FBI headquarters. In addition, the FBI is directed to submit an operational plan within 90 days to move the FBI Headquarters out of the National Capital Region,” he wrote. “The operational plan should also consider the existing resources and infrastructure available at the FBI’s Redstone Arsenal Campus in Huntsville, AL.”
The FBI currently maintains a presence in Huntsville as part of the Redstone Arsenal facility, where it has been expanding its operations for years.
“The FBI has had a presence at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, for more than 50 years,” the FBI website says of the compound. “Today, over one thousand employees work there in various operational and enterprise capacities. The FBI Redstone Arsenal state-of-the art facilities present new opportunities to build our capabilities, create new partnerships, further our mission, and support our vision of becoming the FBI’s innovation and technology center of excellence.”
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Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.
