Chuck Grassley accuses senior FBI official of partisan bias

Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is calling for an investigation into a senior FBI official who allegedly "demonstrated a pattern of public partisanship."

In letters on Tuesday to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Grassley accused Washington Field Office Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault of "likely" violating federal regulations preventing political bias.

While overseeing FBI corruption investigations, Thibault traveled to the Czech Republic to attend a seminar with Bruce and Nellie Ohr, the latter of whom was employed by Fusion GPS.

Grassley linked the FBI official to the Twitter account @tim_thibault, which has posted several controversial political statements. 

"Can we give Kentucky to the Russian Federation?" Thibault tweeted last month.

He insulted other southern states in a post after the 2020 election, writing: "Thank God for Mississippi- state motto of Alabama."

Grassley also noted how on LinkedIn, Thibault showed support for "highly partisan" opinion articles about the Justice Department. 

The Iowa Republican asked Wray and Garland to disclose more information about Thibault's work at the DOJ.

In his letter to the inspector general, Grassley specifically asked for an investigation to be opened into Thibault "for potential violations of federal regulations and Department guidelines designed to prevent political bias from infecting FBI matters, including the Attorney General Guidelines for Domestic FBI Operations and FBI social media policies."