Shots fired at FBI Cincinnati HQ after armed subject attempts to breach building



Shots were reported at the FBI's Cincinnati office on Thursday when an armed person wearing body armor attempted to breach the building and encountered agents.

The suspect reportedly fired a nail gun into the FBI Cincinnati building and fled, leading to a police pursuit, according to NBC News.

"At approximately 9 AM this morning an armed subject attempted to breach the Visitor Screening Facility at FBI Cincinnati. After an alarm and a response by FBI special agents, the subject fled north onto Interstate 71," FBI Cincinnati tweeted Thursday afternoon.

\u201cThe #FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement partners are on scene near Wilmington, OH trying to resolve this critical incident.\n https://t.co/SWDZTkrnhL\u201d
— FBI Cincinnati (@FBI Cincinnati) 1660233016

Authorities said the FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement responded to this "critical incident."

The Clinton County Emergency Management Agency said a lockdown is in effect within a one-mile radius of Smith Road and Center Road, where the incident took place. "Law enforcement has traded shots with a male suspect who is wearing a gray shirt and body armor," the agency said. Parts of the interstate were shut down, officials said.

FBI Cincinnati has released a statement regarding the incident.

"On August 11, 2022, at approximately 9:15 EST, the FBI Cincinnati Field Office had an armed subject attempt to breach the Visitor Screening Facility (VSF). Upon the activation of an alarm and a response by armed FBI special agents, the subject fled northbound onto Interstate 71. The FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol, and local law enforcement partners are on scene near Wilmington, Ohio, trying to resolve this critical incident."

At around 12:30 p.m. the FBI said the suspect was "contained" but not in custody, according to NBC News.

The incident comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray condemned "deplorable and dangerous" threats against law enforcement that have been made in the wake of the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

Authorities monitoring social media posts have reported a significant increase in death threats aimed toward FBI agents, Wray, and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland

“I’m always concerned about threats to law enforcement,” Wray told reporters Wednesday in Omaha, Nebraska. “Violence against law enforcement is not the answer, no matter who you’re upset with.”

FBI agents raided Mar-a-Lago Monday, reportedly in search of "presidential records and evidence of classified information being stored there" in potential violation of federal law.

The unprecedented raid of a former president's private residence drew outrage from Trump, who accused President Joe Biden of weaponizing the justice system to go after his political opponent. Many Republicans and Trump supporters shared the president's anger and have demanded an explanation from the Justice Department.

Whistleblower: FBI agent who covered up Hunter Biden evidence also pressured subordinates to inflate domestic violent extremism data



FBI officials in the Biden administration have allegedly pressured agents to inflate the number of reported "domestic violent extremism" cases, according to whistleblowers. One of the officials accused of pressuring his subordinates is the same FBI agent who allegedly worked to downplay or discredit negative information about President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden.

House Judiciary Committee ranking member Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Wednesday sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting documents and information regarding the accusations.

"We have learned that FBI officials are pressuring agents to reclassify cases as 'domestic violent extremism' even if the cases do not meet the criteria for such a classification," Jordan wrote. "Given the narrative pushed by the Biden Administration that domestic violent extremism is the 'greatest threat' facing our country, the revelation that the FBI may be artificially padding domestic terrorism data is scandalous."

\u201c\ud83d\udea8 #BREAKING \ud83d\udea8\n\nWhistleblowers: FBI Leadership Pressuring Agents to Artificially Pad Domestic Terrorism Data\u201d
— House Judiciary GOP (@House Judiciary GOP) 1658950747

Biden administration officials have repeatedly asserted that domestic violent extremism is the greatest threat facing the country. FBI Director Wray has previously testified that the U.S. domestic terrorism caseload has "exploded" in size since spring 2020. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified this year that domestic violent extremism is "the greatest terrorism related threat to our homeland."

Responding to the determination of law enforcement officials, the White House National Security Council unveiled a national strategy for countering domestic terrorism last year. And in January this year, the Department of Justice opened a new unit to investigate acts of domestic terrorism.

Seizing on the government's narrative, Democrats have sought to tie political violence and domestic extremism to Republicans, often pointing to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Mainstream news outlets like the New York Times have supported their narrative, reporting that most political violence in America "comes from the political right."

But Jordan's letter raised questions about the government's data, citing "multiple FBI employees" who came forward to accuse top bureau officials of encouraging their subordinates to pad the data.

"We have received accusations that FBI agents are bolstering the number of cases of [domestic violent extremism] to satisfy their superiors," Jordan wrote.

He gave as an example one whistleblower who alleged that agents are "encouraged and incentivized to reclassify cases as DVE cases even though there is minimal, circumstantial evidence to support the reclassification."

"These whistleblower allegations that the FBI is padding domestic violent extremist data cheapens actual examples of violent extremism," Jordan wrote. "This information also reinforces our concerns — about which we have written to you several times — regarding the FBI's politicization under your leadership," he told Wray.

The letter also refers to an unidentified "field office Counterterrorism Assistant Special Agent in Charge" who allegedly "pressured agents" to reclassify cases as domestic violent extremism "to hit self-created performance metrics."

Jordan identified this person as Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault in an interview with Breitbart News.

Thibault was previously named by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) in a separate letter to Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland disclosing that a "highly credible" whistleblower came forward in August 2020 and alleged that the FBI and Department of Justice had coordinated to falsely portray evidence gathered about Hunter Biden as "disinformation."

Grassley wrote that an FBI intelligence assessment was "used by an FBI headquarters team to improperly discredit negative Hunter Biden information as disinformation."

"Based on allegations, verified and verifiable derogatory information on Hunter Biden was falsely labeled as disinformation," Grassley said.

Noting that Thibault previously displayed "a pattern of active public partisanship in his then public social media content," Grassley revealed that in October 2020, one month before the election, Thibault had ordered closed "an avenue of additional derogatory Hunter Biden reporting."

The senator went on to detail that Thibault and other agents "subsequently attempted to improperly mark the matter in FBI systems so that it could not be opened in the future," according to whistleblowers.

The FBI told multiple news outlets it had received Grassley's letter but offered no additional comment.

FBI Director Wray reveals shocking surge of cop killings in 2021



FBI Director Christopher Wray says that cop killings in the U.S. skyrocketed last year, telling CBS News that violence against law enforcement is not receiving enough attention.

In an interview on "60 Minutes" Sunday evening, Wray revealed there was a 59% increase in the murders of police officers in 2021, with 73 officers killed. That disturbing statistic follows a 29% increase in murders in the United States in 2020, with nearly 5,000 more people killed than in the year before.

CBS News' Scott Pelley asked what caused the surge of homicides.

"Certainly the pandemic didn't help. There's a variety of ways in which that contributed to it," Wray said.

"We're seeing more and more juveniles committing violent crime, and that's certainly an issue. We're seeing a certain amount of gun trafficking, interstate gun trafficking. That's part of it. And we're seeing an alarming frequency of some of the worst of the worst getting back out on the streets," he added.

The FBI director shared that last year, police officers "were being killed at a rate of almost one every five days."

"Violence against law enforcement in this country is one of the biggest phenomena that I think doesn't get enough attention," he said.

Wray indicated that an "alarming" number of murdered officers appear to have been intentionally targeted and were either ambushed or shot while out on patrol.

"They were killed because they were police officers," Pelley said.

"Right. Wearing the badge shouldn't make you a target," Wray replied.

This trend of violence against police officers appears to be continuing in 2022. Earlier this month, the National Fraternal Order of Police reported that as of April 1, there have already been 101 officers shot this year and 17 officers killed by gunfire. The police union said there have been 19 ambush-style attacks on law enforcement officers this year, a 36% increase from the same period in 2021.

NEW REPORT: These historic numbers are horrific and are an absolute stain on our society. When the vast majority of media elites decide that this issue isn\u2019t worth covering, it speaks volumes as to where our society is heading.\n\nENOUGH IS ENOUGH\n\nReport: https://fop.net/2022/04/fop-monthly-update-officers-shot-and-killed-9/\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/mhc1hpvJEO
— National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)) 1648826861

"These historic numbers are horrific and are an absolute stain on our society," the union said. "When the vast majority of media elites decide that this issue isn’t worth covering, it speaks volumes as to where our society is heading."

Wray said that the FBI is working with local law enforcement and deploying task forces in "specific hot spots" to combat violent crime.

"Last year I think we arrested something like 15,000 violent gang members around the country. And part of what fuels us to pursue this mission is our deep conviction that law enforcement's most sacred duty is to ensure that people can live free from fear in their own homes and neighborhoods," he said.

Democratic senator suggests FBI conducted 'fake' background check on Brett Kavanaugh — demands DOJ review



A Democratic lawmaker suggested the FBI conducted a "fake" background check on Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and demanded that President Joe Biden's newly appointed attorney general conduct a review of the bureau's work.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote a letter to newly confirmed Attorney General Merrick Garland demanding "proper oversight" over several matters related to the Department ofJustice, including the FBI's 2018 investigation into the unsubstantiated and uncorroborated allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh, who was then President Donald Trump's nominee to fill a seat on the Supreme Court vacated by Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement.

Whitehouse asked Garland to review "what appears to have been a politically-constrained and perhaps fake FBI investigation into alleged misconduct by now-Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh."

During Kavanaugh's confirmation process, Christine Blasey Ford came forward to accuse him of a sexual assault that she alleged occurred in the mid-1980s. She testified about her allegations to the U.S. Senate but was unable to provide a consistent account of what allegedly happened, had no memory of key details that could corroborate her account, and made several other inconsistent statements, failing to substantiate her claims.

Another woman, Judy Munri-Leighton, made a false allegation that Kavanaugh raped her and latter admitted she had never met him. A third woman, Julie Swetnick, made the outrageous claim that Kavanaugh participated in a "train" of boys lined up to rape women at house parties, later contradicted her sworn testimony, and was referred to the Department of Justice by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) for possible criminal investigation for false statements to Congress.

Kavanaugh vehemently denied all of the allegations.

At the insistence of Senate Democrats, the FBI conducted a background investigation into Kavanaugh and reviewed the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against him. They found "no corroboration of the allegations."

But Whitehouse and other Democrats accused President Donald Trump of limiting the FBI's investigation, though FBI Director Christopher Wray would later testify to Congress that the FBI completed its probe according to "standard process."

In his letter to Garland, Whitehouse asserted that the FBI ignored multiple witnesses who claimed to have evidence against Kavanaugh to share with investigators. He said their cases were never assigned to an agent and that no evidence was gathered by the FBI.

"This was unique behavior in my experience, as the Bureau is usually amenable to information and evidence; but in this matter the shutters were closed, the drawbridge drawn up, and there was no point of entry by which members of the public or Congress could provide information to the FBI," Whitehouse said.

He also claimed that although the FBI set up a "tip line" for additional allegations and that the FBI received a "stack of information" through the tip line, senators "received no explanation of how, or whether, those allegations were processed and evaluated."

"This 'tip line' appears to have operated more like a garbage chute, with everything that came down the chute consigned without review to the figurative dumpster," Whitehouse asserted.

Whitehouse also criticized Director Wray for giving unsatisfactory answers to and "stonewalling" congressional inquiries.

"If standard procedures were violated, and the Bureau conducted a fake investigation rather than a sincere, thorough and professional one, that in my view merits congressional oversight to understand how, why, and at whose behest and with whose knowledge or connivance, this was done," Whitehouse wrote to Garland.

House Republicans demand answers from FBI director about Hunter Biden's hard drive after NY Post exposé



Nineteen Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives signed a letter demanding answers from FBI Director Christopher Wray about whether the bureau had possession of a hard drive that led to the controversial New York Post exposé.

Catherine Herridge of CBS News posted the letter to her social media account on Friday:

READ: Letter from 19 house Republicans to Director Wray asks main questions surrounding @FBI forensic analysis of a… https://t.co/DWphsIRH5l
— Catherine Herridge (@Catherine Herridge)1602897386.0

"Yesterday, the New York Post published an article entitled, 'Smoking-gun email reveals how Hunter Biden introduced Ukrainian businessman to VP dad.' The article documents how a recently uncovered laptop and hard drive allegedly revealed e-mails to and from Hunter Biden that strongly indicated that former Vice President Joe Biden was, in fact, aware of his son's overseas dealings," the letter read.

The letter went on to address the allegation that the FBI was in possession of the hard drive in 2019.

"This action took place right at the end of the U.S. House of Representative's impeachment sham against President Donald J. Trump, and right before the U.S. Senate tried the case. A large portion of the President's legal defense case revolved around strong evidence that former Vice President Biden's son, Hunter, was peddling his influence to his father to land lucrative jobs overseas that he might not have otherwise been qualified for," the letter continued.

The letter went on to call it a "gross error of judgement" and a "severe violation of trust" if the FBI had been in possession of the hard drive and had not divulged the information that was so damaging to the Biden campaign.

They demanded the FBI answer if they had possession of the hard drive, whether they had informed the White House or the Department of Justice about the hard drive, and if they had authenticated the evidence.

The lawmakers asked for an answer to their letter from Wray by Thursday.

Also on Friday, Biden snapped at a reporter who asked him to respond to the New York Post story, and instead accused him of participating in a smear campaign against him.

Here's more about the NY Post Biden report:

Smoking-gun email reveals how Hunter Biden introduced Ukrainian businessman to dad | New York Postwww.youtube.com