VA Democrat senator calls for IG probe of FBI headquarters selection: 'Clear political interference'

Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner on Thursday blasted the Biden administration's handling of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters selection process and called for an General Services Administration (GSA) Inspector General probe of the matter.

FBI Director Chris Wray also said on Thursday that he has "concerns about fairness and transparency in the process and GSA's failure to adhere to its own site selection plan."

Wray said there there was a "potential conflict of interest," adding that the site selection panel reported why it recommended the Washington D.C. suburb of Springfield, Va., for the headquarters over Greenbelt and Landover, Md.

"This senior executive, a political appointee, reviewed and considered the site selection panel's report and its unanimous recommendation," Wray wrote in an email to FBI employees.

Warner told reporters that the Biden administration caved to "political pressure" at the last minute and chose Greenbelt, Md.

"This is the kind of behavior I expected from the Trump administration. I think we all expect better from the current administration," he said at a press briefing, adding that he didn't think this would happen under the Biden administration. "I regret the fact that I have to make that comparison."

Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said there was "clear political interference" in the selection process.