Congress questions FBI over social media censorship

FBI Director Christopher Wray received heavy scrutiny from both Democrats and Republicans during a congressional oversight hearing Wednesday. Lawmakers such as Susan Ellen “Zoe” Lofgren, D-Calif., questioned Wray over concerns that the FBI purchasing citizen location data from third-party sources. Wray repeatedly denied claims of low public trust in what he called the “real FBI” by sharing employee statistics showing high recruitment and low attrition.

What non-partisan issues were discussed? The Republican-led committee questioned Wray on a wide range of hot-button topics during the five-hour hearing. Republican lawmakers questioned Wray about the FBI’s investigations of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and Hunter Biden’s illegal activity. The Republicans also brought up a federal injunction that stated the FBI worked with social media platforms to censor some user content, and an FBI memo referencing “radical traditional Catholics.” Democrats questioned Wray on the FBI’s investigations of former President Donald Trump. Wray avoided answering multiple questions by saying, “I can’t get into it here,” or referring committee members to classified reports.

Dig Deeper: Read Emma Freire’s report in WORLD Magazine on the FBI’s power evolution.