(Ken Silva, Headline USA) Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has removed leaked FBI whistleblower documents from his website after the bureau accused him of disclosing sensitive national security information.
Grassley initially released the FBI records in question last Thursday, revealing new information about the Pakistani man arrested on July 12 for allegedly trying to hire undercover FBI agents to assassinate Donald Trump.
Though the entire case appears to have been a controlled FBI sting operation, the internal FBI documents leaked to Grassley included new information about the Pakistani terrorist’s alleged Iranian handler, as well as his movements and interactions in the U.S.
Grassley wrote to the FBI with several questions about the documents he released, including when the bureau knew the Pakistani defendant, Asif Merchant, entered the U.S. But instead of answering Grassley’s questions, the FBI released a scathing reply—accusing the senator of putting lives at risk with his disclosures.
“Public disclosure about sensitive, ongoing national security investigations and potential cooperation from subjects is irresponsible and undermines the FBI’s ability to conduct thorough investigations and enforcement actions that keep Americans safe. It also puts lives at risk, especially when you are dealing with an adversary like Iran,” the FBI reportedly said.
Shortly after the FBI issued its statements, the FBI documents were removed from Grassley’s website—as were the letters he wrote about the documents to FBI Director Chris Wray and Homeland Security Director Alejandro Mayorkas.
🚨NEW🚨Sen. Chuck Grassley has removed the FBI-302 from his website after the FBI accused him of putting "lives at risk" (bullshit).
I've reached out to Grassley's office for a statement on their decision to remove the records. Meanwhile, you can find them in my below tweet.… https://t.co/BuzdITrYrE pic.twitter.com/6HIJpeUVH5— Ken Silva (@JD_Cashless) September 6, 2024
Headline USA wrote to Grassley’s office, asking why the documents were removed. Grassley’s spokesperson pushed back against the FBI’s accusations about putting lives at risk—but didn’t explain why the documents were removed.
“Senator Grassley welcomes agency engagement on this issue and awaits legitimate explanation from DOJ and the FBI as to how the document’s publication impacts their investigation, which DOJ itself publicized over a month ago in a 15-page indictment and corresponding press release,” a Grassley spokesperson said.
“The document at issue is marked unclassified by the FBI, was never marked by the FBI as ‘For Official Use Only’ or ‘law enforcement sensitive,’ and contained redactions made by Senator Grassley’s office to protect potential sensitivities. Senator Grassley’s disclosure of the unclassified document is in keeping with Congress’s independent constitutional authority to conduct oversight, a fact which DOJ has directly acknowledged to Senator Grassley’s staff,” the spokesperson said.
“This is Grassley oversight at work. The FBI failed to be fully transparent when it briefed Congress on election year threats; now, as a result of Grassley’s oversight, DOJ and the FBI have been forced to come to the table and answer questions directly.”
Grassley’s office also noted that the information in the controversial FBI documents has been reported by major outlets such as the New York Post, Fox News and Daily Mail. However, those outlets didn’t share the actual documents, but instead linked to Grassley’s website, which has removed them.
Headline USA is the only outlet this writer is aware of that still has the documents.
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at twitter.com/jd_cashless.
