{"id":2078658,"date":"2023-10-25T05:33:03","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T09:33:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-cleared-of-any-wrongdoing-in-fbi-headquarters-spat\/"},"modified":"2023-10-25T05:37:47","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T09:37:47","slug":"trump-cleared-of-any-wrongdoing-in-fbi-headquarters-spat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-cleared-of-any-wrongdoing-in-fbi-headquarters-spat\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump not guilty in FBI HQ dispute."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-cleared-of-any-wrongdoing-in-fbi-headquarters-spat%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2078658&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Audit Finds Trump Did Not Improperly Influence FBI \u200bHeadquarters Decision<\/h2>\n<p>A recent audit conducted by \u2062the Justice Department inspector general has determined that\u2063 President Donald Trump did not exert any improper influence on the FBI&#8217;s choice to keep its headquarters in\u200b downtown Washington instead of\u2063 moving it to\u2063 suburban locations in Maryland or Virginia.<\/p>\n<p>The inspector general&#8217;s report, released on Oct. 24 after a four-year investigation, stated, &#8220;With regard to possible influence by\u2062 then President Trump or the White House, we found no evidence that the FBI&#8217;s decisions were based on improper considerations or motives.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Approximately two decades ago, the FBI recognized that its current headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, no longer met the agency&#8217;s security and workforce needs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Related\u200b Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/trump-gets-perry-johnsons-endorsement-after-candidate-drops-out-of-2024-race-5515903?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Trump \u200dGets\u200d Perry Johnson&#8217;s Endorsement After Candidate Drops Out of\u2063 2024 \u2062Race<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; \u206410\/24\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/guilty-pleas-in-georgia-trump-case-will-speed-up-trial-says-former-federal-prosecutor-5516077?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Guilty Pleas in Georgia\u200b Trump Case Will\u200d Speed up Trial, Says Former Federal Prosecutor<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 10\/24\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>In 2014, the government began exploring the option of transferring ownership of the current FBI headquarters land to\u2063 a developer\u200c in exchange \u200bfor the construction of\u200c a\u2062 new facility in the\u200c suburbs. However, the General Services Administration (GSA) determined that the value\u2062 of\u200d the existing site would\u200b not cover the cost of a new facility.\u2062 As a result, \u2063the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) \u2062<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/protecting-innocence-means-speaking-up\/\" title=\"Speak up to protect innocence.\">requested additional funding<\/a> from Congress.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>The\u2064 FBI headquarters\u2014the J. Edgar Hoover \u200bbuilding\u2014in Washington on March\u2064 22, 2023.\u200d (Richard Moore\/The Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>Canceled Plans<\/h2>\n<p>In\u2062 July 2017, the GSA announced the cancellation of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-cleared-of-any-wrongdoing-in-fbi-headquarters-spat\/\" title=\"Trump not guilty in FBI HQ dispute.\">suburban campus construction plan \u200cdue<\/a> \u200cto insufficient funds allocated by Congress. Consequently, the FBI abandoned the idea \u200cof a suburban campus and\u2062 proposed demolishing the J. Edgar Hoover\u200b Building\u2064 to construct a new headquarters on the same site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>However, some Democrats alleged a conspiracy, accusing President Trump of\u2062 interfering in the decision to protect his commercial \u200dproperty, the Trump International Hotel. They claimed that he influenced the abandonment of the suburban campus plan during a meeting involving GSA officials, the FBI, \u2064and White House officials in January 2018.<\/p>\n<p>The investigation prompted by these allegations\u200d ultimately found President Trump innocent. \u200dThe watchdog report \u200dstated, &#8220;We found no evidence that&#8230;the \u2064FBI considered the location of the then named Trump International\u200c Hotel or how then President Trump&#8217;s\u200b financial interests could be impacted by the decision.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>The FBI headquarters\u2014the J. Edgar Hoover building\u2014in Washington on March 22, \u200b2023. (Richard Moore\/The Epoch \u2062Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<h2>&#8216;I Did Not Feel Pressured&#8217;: \u200dFBI Director<\/h2>\n<p>FBI Director Christopher Wray assured\u2062 the watchdog\u2062 that President\u200c Trump never \u200dpressured him into making a decision regarding the headquarters relocation. In \u2063fact, Wray \u200bexpressed his preference for keeping the headquarters in DC during discussions with\u2063 the president.<\/p>\n<p>According to a memo cited in \u200dthe watchdog report, Wray stated, &#8220;There was no\u2064 pressure to go\u2063 in a particular direction. There was\u2062 no\u2062 requirement \u200bto stay in the current\u200c location. The Director concluded that the President had a topic\u2064 that was in his element, he knows building. He was \u2062excited and engaged about the topic.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-figure\" style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>FBI Director Christopher Wray \u200btestifies before a House Committee on the Judiciary oversight hearing \u200con\u200b Capitol\u200b Hill in Washington \u200con July 12, 2023. (Patrick Semansky\/AP Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The watchdog also discovered that many\u2063 FBI leaders\u2063 and staff opposed the idea of moving the headquarters to the suburbs due to concerns about being farther away from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-nazi-guard-living-in-tennessee-deported-to-germany\/\" title=\"Former Nazi Guard Living In Tennessee Deported To Germany\">law enforcement partners<\/a> and other agencies. Director \u2062Wray emphasized that the\u2062 decision was based on the merits and not influenced by President Trump.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Under the Biden administration, plans for the FBI headquarters have changed. The FBI and GSA \u2063are now considering\u2064 keeping some parts of the headquarters in Washington while relocating others to different locations, such as \u200dSpringfield, Virginia, or Greenbelt or Landover, Maryland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2063 Did the audit find any evidence of improper influence from President Trump\u200b or the White House in the FBI&#8217;s\u200b headquarters decision?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  :0;max-width:1200px&#8221;><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>The Trump International Hotel in Washington on Oct. 7, 2023.(Mandel Ngan\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The inspector general&#8217;s \u2063report further explained that the decision to keep the FBI headquarters in\u200b downtown Washington was primarily based on\u2062 security concerns and the agency&#8217;s operational needs. The \u2064report stated that the FBI determined it would \u200dbe more \u2062advantageous to maintain its \u200dpresence in downtown Washington due to its \u200cproximity to other law enforcement agencies, transportation hubs, and critical \u2064infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>The audit also addressed concerns raised \u200dabout the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texans-cant-lose-power-for-nonpayment-orders-utilities-commission\/\" title=\"Texans Can\u2019t Lose Power For Nonpayment, Orders Utilities Commission\">potential financial impact<\/a> of the decision on President \u200cTrump&#8217;s business interests. The \u2063report concluded that the decision \u200bwas not influenced by any financial considerations related to\u2064 the Trump International Hotel or any other commercial property associated with the President. The investigation found \u2063no\u2062 evidence of improper considerations or motives on the \u200dpart\u2063 of \u200bPresident Trump or the White House.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>Overall,\u200c the audit conducted\u2062 by the Justice Department inspector general has dispelled the allegations\u200c that President Trump inappropriately influenced the FBI&#8217;s headquarters\u200d decision. The report provides a comprehensive and thorough analysis of the factors that guided the FBI&#8217;s\u2063 choice to keep its headquarters in downtown Washington. It reaffirms that the decision was made based on the agency&#8217;s security and operational needs, and not as a result of any improper influence from the President or the\u2064 White House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>With this audit, the Justice Department inspector general has\u200d effectively\u2063 addressed the concerns and allegations surrounding\u200d the FBI&#8217;s headquarters decision. The report&#8217;s findings should lay to rest any doubts about the integrity and transparency of the process. It highlights the importance of conducting thorough and impartial investigations to maintain public trust and ensure \u2064the accountability of government agencies.<\/p>\n<p>As\u200c the allegations against President Trump regarding the FBI&#8217;s headquarters decision have been proven unfounded, it is crucial to acknowledge the importance of accuracy and\u2064 diligence when assessing such claims. Sound investigative\u2063 procedures and a commitment to objective analysis are essential in establishing the truth and eliminating unfounded speculation.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately,\u2063 the audit&#8217;s findings that\u200d President Trump did not improperly influence the FBI&#8217;s headquarters decision serve as a reminder \u200dof the need for evidence-based assessments and the importance of fair judgment in\u200d evaluating political controversies. It is crucial to rely \u200bon \u2063verifiable information and credible sources to avoid the proliferation of baseless accusations that \u2063can undermine \u200bpublic\u200b trust and contribute to a climate of mistrust and division.<\/p>\n<p>The audit&#8217;s conclusion provides closure to\u200b this specific controversy and reinforces the principles of fairness, accountability, and integrity in government \u2062decision-making processes. By dispelling unsupported claims and affirming the agency&#8217;s decision-making process, the\u2064 audit&#8217;s findings contribute to the preservation of the rule of law\u2063 and the credibility\u2063 of\u200c our government institutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A watchdog report concluded that President Trump did not exert any improper influence on the FBI&#8217;s choice to retain its headquarters in downtown Washington instead of relocating to Maryland or Virginia suburbs. No evidence was found linking the decisions to the former President or the White House.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":2078659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2078658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2078658"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2078658\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2078659"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2078658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2078658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2078658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}