FBI Trump questionnaire exposes 'divisive partisan politics' at bureau, former agent says
Former FBI agent and Fox contributor Nicole Parker said the questionnaire and other similar matters have inspired a loss of trust in the agency
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday testified that a questionnaire given to some employees within the agency asked whether they supported former President Trump or if they got the COVID-19 vaccine.
The admission came after questioning from Republican Wisconsin Rep. Tom Tiffany, who asked Wray during the congressional hearing about the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump if "support for President Trump is a security concern" among FBI employees.
"No," Wray responded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Is objection to the COVID-19 vaccine a security threat?" Tiffany asked.
FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY TESTIFIES ABOUT TRUMP RALLY ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
FBI Director Christopher Wray, testifying before a congressional committee, said the gunman flew a drone over the area where former President Trump was scheduled to speak about two hours before he took the stage. (Chris Kleponis/AFP)
"Not from my perspective," Wray responded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Who approved… what is termed as the Trump questionnaire within the FBI that was done?" Tiffany asked.
"So the document you're asking about is an interview outline that we only recently learned about, and in my view is completely inappropriate," Wray said. "I asked my team to get to the bottom of what happened and to ensure that doesn't happen again. And I've learned that it's not an FBI form, that its use was isolated, that it was created not by an FBI employee, but by an outside contractor. And that individual is no longer affiliated with the FBI. "
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tiffany was referring to a questionnaire shared with Fox News Digital by whistleblower organization Empower Oversight.
"Vocalize support for president Trump?" reads one question on the form. Another states: "Vocalize objection to COVID-19 vaccination?" A third asks if the employee has vocalized any intent to attend Jan. 6, 2021.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A drone view during the police investigation into gunfire at a campaign rally of former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 14. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)
Wray said the questionnaire was created by "an outside contractor" hired by the FBI to interview employees, and that person is no longer affiliated with the FBI.
Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent and Fox News contributor, told Fox News Digital that while she never saw the questionnaire in person, she is familiar with the polarizing interview questions from other FBI employees. Parker also said FBI contractors are often former agents.
"There is a pattern of Director Wray allegedly being blindsided and out of touch with these types of incidents happening throughout the agency — the agency that he has been entrusted to lead," Parker said. "I understand that Director Wray has multiple responsibilities and cannot micromanage every detail. But why is the FBI promoting these types of individuals to key leadership roles who lack reasonable judgment? This questionnaire is abhorrent and highlights the divisive partisan politics going on at the FBI. The American taxpayers have a right to question what the FBI perceives as a quality leader."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FBI Director Christopher Wray arrives to testify during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 4. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Parker also added that because of the questionnaire matter and other similar incidents within the FBI, "Americans and many FBI employees have lost trust."
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"Trust is built when the American people hold the FBI director responsible for his agency being used to question the politics of FBI employees," she said. "Wray attempts to distance himself from the incident, dismissing it as a contractor who formulated the questionnaire. The contractors are being paid by the FBI's budget, so the buck stops with the FBI director. The FBI is accountable for questions being asked of its employees and the money being paid to contractors to do so. It should be noted that not always but oftentimes these FBI contractors are retired FBI special agents."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Federal officials are still working to determine a motive behind shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks' attempt to assassinate the former president at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.
Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI.