New Documents Indicate FBI Targeted GOP Lawmakers After January 6 Protests
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has come across new documents that suggest the Biden-era FBI aimed to investigate Republican lawmakers following the January 6, 2021 protests. He referred to this as part of a broader trend of political weaponization.
The documents, which were made public by Grassley, shed light on the nature of the Biden FBI’s “Rampart Twelve” investigation. This inquiry reportedly began from the Washington field office and targeted Republican Representatives Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), and former Rep. Mo Brooks (Ala.).
Grassley criticized his Democratic colleagues for dismissing these findings and defending the officials who participated in what he claims were politically motivated actions taken by the Biden administration.
The investigation saw agents collect toll records for Boebert and Gosar, identifying callers along with details like the date and duration of the calls.
The Rampart Twelve investigation launched on January 22, 2021, just days after President Biden took office. It was sparked by unverified claims made by Democratic Congress members—including Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) and Steve Cohen (D-TN)—that suggested Republicans may have conspired with perpetrators of the January 6 Capitol breach.
Sherrill, who is now New Jersey’s governor, pointed to a January 2021 video as possible evidence, suggesting that some Congressional members led a group into the Capitol for reconnaissance ahead of the chaos.
Text messages among prosecutors revealed that officials within the Biden Justice Department considered pursuing cases despite realizing it might be “impossible” to prove that the Republicans intended harm when they brought people to the Capitol. Some alleged evidence did not seem to warrant suspicion.
There was a palpable effort to sidestep scrutiny in this legal endeavor directed at political opponents of the Biden administration.
Following concerns over the covert investigations of Congressional members, prosecutor JP Cooney, a deputy to special counsel Jack Smith in two of Trump’s criminal cases, assured Thibault—a staunch anti-Trump FBI agent—about the safety of the inquiry.
In a letter to Thibault dated February 3, 2021, Cooney referenced a memorandum from Attorney General Bill Barr. This mandated that Congress be notified in writing before any investigations involving a declared candidate. However, Cooney contended that the targets were now sworn-in members of Congress and thus fair game for investigation.
The FBI allegedly kept the Rampart Twelve case open until at least January 2022. During that time, Thibault reportedly instructed an FBI agent wanting to interview Boebert and Gosar to follow directions from FBI headquarters to resolve the case.
Grassley remarked that Rampart Twelve sets a precedent for future investigations. He pointed out the absence of evidence justifying the inquiry, noting that Cooney’s earlier text messages contradicted his decision to proceed.
Senator Eric Schmidt (R-Mo.), discussing the revelations, emphasized that these documents illustrate targeted actions at high government echelons against legitimate officeholders, with no substantiated evidence of wrongdoing. He labeled the investigation a politically charged expedition motivated by agenda-related pursuits.
As of Tuesday afternoon, few liberal media outlets had covered the specifics of the Biden FBI’s Rampart Twelve investigation.
Grassley underscored that without his investigations and the courageous whistleblowers, the actions of the FBI agents and prosecutors seeking to undermine the Republican Party would have gone unnoticed. He committed to continuing efforts to expose constitutional violations under the Biden administration.
