A recent report from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has criticized the FBI for mishandling the investigation into the 2017 Congressional baseball shooting, which resulted in injuries to six people, including Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA). The report claims the FBI downplayed the shooter James T. Hodgkinson’s anti-Republican motivations.
The committee’s scathing findings, released on Tuesday, assert that the FBI “slaughtered” the investigation in order to support a different narrative.
“The FBI relied on biased analyses and manipulated known facts, suggesting Hodgkinson intended to commit suicide by police, which was unrelated to domestic terrorism,” the report stated.
“Following new evidence, the FBI retracted its earlier conclusion that the case was simply a criminal matter involving suicide by police,” the report continued.
The committee noted that the FBI obstructed Congressional oversight for four years based on this flawed decision.
After Hodgkinson attacked a Republican lawmaker in Alexandria, Virginia, the FBI initially determined that he had fired upon members of Congress because he was attempting “suicide by police.”
“However, the committee found the FBI’s conclusions inconsistent with the available facts,” the report explained, highlighting that for the suicide-by-cop scenario to be plausible, the perpetrator must exhibit hostile intent in front of police.
In Hodgkinson’s case, “there were no visible police officers,” the report revealed, pointing out that law enforcement was in plain clothes at the time of the incident.
As he targeted Republican lawmakers, plainclothes Capitol police engaged with Hodgkinson.
“The idea of suicide by police is untenable because there were no uniformed officers present, and Hodgkinson had no reason to believe police were there,” the report concluded.
Moreover, Hodgkinson’s actions suggested he aimed to survive the shootout; he even texted someone for directions back to his home in Belleville, Illinois.
Witnesses reported seeing Hodgkinson hiding as he fired at GOP lawmakers.
“The FBI’s investigation did not adequately interview all victims and witnesses,” the committee noted.
Still, the report clarified that “suicide is not incompatible with domestic terrorism, regardless of whether Hodgkinson wanted to die that day.”
Hodgkinson was known to harbor intense animosity against the Republican Party and was part of a Facebook group called “End the Republican Party,” which lauded him after his attack.
The FBI later adjusted its stance before the House Appropriations Committee in April 2021, admitting that Hodgkinson’s goal was to assault members of Congress.
The next month, the FBI described him as an individual with a “violent ideology,” indicating that he targeted Republicans at a baseball practice, injuring several.
“The FBI has arrived at this conclusion, but it is four years too late,” the committee stated, calling it an injustice against Hodgkinson’s victims and the American public.
The report also emphasized that the FBI did not recognize the attack as domestic terrorism until it began investigating the January 6 protests.
Additionally, the FBI acknowledged it had crucial evidence, including handwritten notes found with Hodgkinson listing six members of Congress, but did not provide further details.
The committee commended FBI Director Kash Patel for his transparency in reviewing the agency’s 2017 case files, noting it was a positive change from previous leadership that obstructed oversight.
The report expressed hope that with new leadership, the FBI could realign with its core values.
The House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee is urging Patel to restore the FBI’s integrity and ensure its analysts maintain the necessary analytical rigor.
The committee also called for an investigation into how the FBI came to classify Hodgkinson’s actions as suicidal rather than domestic terrorism and suggested lawmakers consider criminal liability for politicizing intelligence reports.
Moreover, they asked Patel to address why the FBI neglected to conduct in-depth interviews with all victims and witnesses and to take accountability for any procedural failures.
Patel should also evaluate if domestic extremists are becoming more radical and potentially violent, and if so, propose legislative measures that protect free speech while addressing this issue.
Democrats on the committee acknowledged many of the report’s findings regarding the FBI’s shortcomings in the investigation but argued that Republicans failed to provide clear evidence regarding the political motivations that influenced the FBI’s earlier conclusions.
