U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee’s Chair Rep. James Comer (R-KY) investigating FBI over ‘quietly’ revised crime statistics
Our research has resulted in the House calling out the FBI for hiding its revision in crime statistics. The letter by Rep. James Comer is shown at the end.
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Here is a story on the investigation that was in the Washington Times. A related story is available at Fox News.
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The House Oversight and Reform Committee on Thursday demanded the FBI explain why it released crime data last year that seemed to back up President Biden’s claims that violent crime had dropped, only to “quietly” revise the numbers this year.
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FBI analysts initially reported that violent crimes dropped 1.7% in 2022. But in the quiet revisions last month, the FBI data now shows a 4.5% increase from 2021 to 2022.
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Oversight Chairman James Comer ordered the FBI to turn over documents detailing the changes and any communications with the main Justice Department or the Biden White House.
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“The committee is concerned that the FBI’s recent failures to report accurate crime data are politically motivated,” Mr. Comer, Kentucky Republican, said in his letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray.
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Crime data has become a major issue in the 2024 election, with former President Donald Trump insisting crime has surged and Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris saying it’s down.
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Ms. Harris has been citing the FBI data.
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But John R. Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center, said the FBI’s quiet updates undercut those claims. The new data showed aggravated assaults, robberies and murders all rose significantly, contradicting the FBI’s original release. . . .
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Here is Rep. James Comer’s letter:
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