FBI Director Christopher Wray testified Wednesday that surveys distributed to some FBI employees asked whether they supported former President Trump and whether they had received the COVID-19 vaccine.
The admission came after Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin asked Wray at a congressional hearing on the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump whether his support for President Trump was a security concern among FBI employees.
“No,” Ray replied.
“Is opposition to the COVID-19 vaccine a security threat?” Tiffany asked.
FBI Director Christopher Wray Testifies About Assassination Attempt at Trump Rally
Testifying before a congressional committee, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the shooter flew a drone over the area where former President Trump was scheduled to speak about two hours before the speech was to begin. (Chris Kleponis/AFP)
“Not from my perspective,” Ray replied.
“Who approved what was called the Trump Questionnaire that was done within the FBI?” Tiffany asked.
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“The document you are asking about is a summary of an interview that we only recently learned of and which, in my view, is totally inappropriate,” Wray said. “I have directed my team to thoroughly investigate what happened and ensure that this never happens again, and we have found that it is not an FBI document, that it was used in isolation, that it was created not by an FBI employee but by an outside contractor, and that person is no longer associated with the FBI.”
Tiffany was referring to a survey shared with Fox News Digital by whistleblower group Empower Oversight.
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One question on the form asks, “Do you express support for President Trump?” Another asks, “Do you oppose getting the COVID-19 vaccine?” and a third asks whether the employee has expressed an intention to attend on January 6, 2021.
Drone footage shows police investigating a shooting at a campaign rally for former President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 14. (Carlos Osorio/Reuters)
Wray said the questionnaire was prepared by an “outside contractor” hired by the FBI to interview employees, and that the person is no longer associated with the bureau.
Nicole Parker, a former FBI agent and Fox News contributor, told Fox News Digital that while she hasn’t seen the questionnaire directly, she is familiar with the interview questions that have generated polarizing opinions from other FBI employees. Parker also noted that FBI contractors are often former agents.
“There is a pattern of Director Wray being blindsided and ignorant of these types of incidents occurring across the agency he is entrusted to lead,” Parker said. “I understand Director Wray has a lot of responsibility and cannot micromanage, but why does the FBI promote someone with such poor rational judgment to a key leadership position? This survey is abhorrent and highlights the divisive partisan politics that take place at the FBI. American taxpayers have a right to question what the FBI considers to be a quality leader.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray arrives to testify at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC on June 4. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Parker added that the survey scandal and similar incidents within the FBI “have caused a loss of confidence among the American people and many FBI employees”.
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“Trust is built when the American public holds the FBI director accountable for being used to politicize FBI employees,” she said. “Director Wray has tried to distance himself from this incident, blaming it on the contractor who created the questionnaire. The responsibility lies with the FBI director because the contractor is paid out of the FBI’s budget. The FBI is responsible for the questions that were asked of employees and the money paid to contractors to do so. It should be noted that often, but not always, these FBI contractors are retired FBI special agents.”
Federal authorities are still working to determine the motive behind the July 13 shooting of Thomas Matthew Crooks, who attempted to assassinate the former president at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the FBI.
