Source: Politics<\/p>\n
GOP presidential candidates are slamming the FBI after a report from Special Counsel John Durham criticized the agency for its actions during the 2016 probe that scrutinized Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and its alleged ties to Russia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a top law enforcement agency that didn’t follow the laws,\u201d GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley said on Fox News Tuesday morning. \u201cTo see what happened is unthinkable. Heads need to roll over this. Anybody that touched it or had a part in it needs to be fired and every one of their senior managers needs to be fired. The FBI has lost complete credibility when it comes to this and they have a lot of fixing to do to get the trust back of the American people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Durham\u2019s 306-page report<\/a> accuses the FBI of a double standard for aggressively probing ties between Russia and Trump\u2019s 2016 presidential campaign while soft-pedaling similar claims about foreigners seeking influence over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n \u201cTHEY ARE SCUM, LIKE COCKROACHES ALL OVER WASHINGTON, D.C.,\u201d the former president posted to Truth Social<\/a> early Tuesday morning. \u201cCongratulations to John Durham on a Report that is being praised for its quality, importance, and professionalism, by friend and foe alike.\u201d <\/p>\n Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to announce a presidential bid, said there\u2019s a \u201cneed to clean house at these agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Durham Report confirmed what we already knew: weaponized federal agencies manufactured a false conspiracy theory about Trump-Russia collusion,\u201d DeSantis said on Twitter<\/a>. \u201cIt reminds us of the need to clean house at these agencies, as they’ve never been held accountable for this egregious abuse of power.\u201d<\/p>\n Vivek Ramaswamy, who announced his campaign<\/a> in February, called to \u201cshut down the FBI\u201d Monday following the release of the report.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 1964 the FBI tried to blackmail MLK into committing suicide. Almost 60 years later, the same administrative agency continues to target and destroy its political enemies,\u201d Ramaswamy said on Twitter<\/a>. \u201cThis needs to finally end. Shut down the FBI – and yes, this is much more practical than it sounds.\u201d<\/p>\n Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who launched his bid<\/a> last month, called for reform rather than a total shutdown.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Durham report today faulted the FBI for failing to uphold the integrity of the law. This makes my call to reform the FBI and limit the breadth of its jurisdiction even more important,\u201d Hutchinson wrote on Twitter<\/a>. \u201cGreat people. Just needs more focus and accountability.\u201d <\/p>\n