Exclusive–Bradley Byrne: Time to Investigate the Investigators

Special Counsel Robert Mueller has officially closed up shop, and the results of his investigation are clear: no collusion, no obstruction. I’m glad the sideshow is over, but some serious questions still need to be answered.

No, I’m not talking about the continued pathetic investigations by the Democrat Party. I’m talking about finding answers on how we even got to this point to begin with. I’m talking about the need to investigate the investigators.

From the botched handling of the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s emails to spying on the Trump campaign to FBI agents texting one another that they will personally “stop” Donald Trump from becoming president, the list of inappropriate – and likely illegal in some cases – actions could go on for days.

Do these sound like the actions of an unbiased Justice Department? Or do they sound like the actions of a partisan Administration doing everything in its power to cripple then-candidate Trump’s campaign and ensure that Hillary Clinton would become the next President of the United States?

I think it’s vital for our country as a whole that we get to the bottom of these questions, and that’s why it is time we finally investigate the investigators.

This week, I introduced the Investigate the Investigators Act, which is focused on finding out what exactly happened as it relates to actions by the FBI and the Department of Justice during the 2016 presidential election. The bill also includes new safeguards to watch those investigating our elected leaders and their campaigns to prevent any such political bias or targeting from ever happening again.

It is absolutely critical the American people have faith in federal law enforcement to uphold the law, but that faith has been legitimately called into question by certain people’s actions during the 2016 election. By investigating what occurred and seeking to prevent it from ever happening again, we can help restore that trust that is so very important to our system of government.

The American people are sick and tired of there being one set of rules for hardworking Americans and then seeing a different set of rules for government officials and bureaucrats. The hypocrisy is stunning.

Let me be clear: I support our nation’s law enforcement, and I respect the difficult work they do every day to keep our nation safe and enforce the laws. This is not an issue with the rank and file who serve, but a problem in the highest levels of government where political agendas and personal ambitions have gotten in the way of doing what is right, finding the truth and upholding the laws equally and without bias.

I’ve talked with numerous law enforcement – past and present – who expressed concerns about the way the FBI and the Department of Justice handled the 2016 election. In fact, those in law enforcement who understand the law have been some of the harshest critics of the way things were handled in 2016.

There are so many questions that need to be answered. Was shady, unverified opposition research from the Hillary Clinton campaign used to justify a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) warrant? How did emails and text messages from biased FBI officials just go missing? Was the scope and course of the investigation tainted by the verified bias of those investigating the President? Why did James Comey violate DOJ policy?  What role did the infamous meeting between President Clinton and Attorney General Lynch play in the Clinton email matter? Were career officials overruled in making prosecutorial decisions regarding Secretary Clinton?

And most importantly, I want to know what President Obama knew about all this nonsense and when he knew it. I want to know just how high this scandal goes. President Obama and his Administration owe the American people answers and this bill will make sure we get them.

Just think: President Nixon used retired FBI agents to spy on a presidential campaign and was forced out of office. What are the consequences if President Obama used active duty FBI to spy on the Trump campaign?

Congressman Bradley Byrne currently represents Alabama’s First Congressional District in the House of Representatives, and he is currently a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat held by Senator Doug Jones (D-AL).