{"id":2316954,"date":"2024-07-31T17:50:01","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T21:50:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-headquarters-selection-process-was-tainted-by-scandal-congress-says-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-31T17:57:19","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T21:57:19","slug":"fbi-headquarters-selection-process-was-tainted-by-scandal-congress-says-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-headquarters-selection-process-was-tainted-by-scandal-congress-says-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"FBI headquarters selection process was \u2018tainted by scandal,\u2019 Congress says &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/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%2Ffbi-headquarters-selection-process-was-tainted-by-scandal-congress-says-washington-examiner%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=2316954&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--><p>House\u200b lawmakers criticized the selection process for the FBI&#8217;s new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/in-federal-spending-fight-house-republicans-have-only-one-acceptable-tack-no-security-no-funding\/\" title=\"House Republicans in the Federal Spending Fight: No Security, No Funding\">multibillion-dollar headquarters<\/a>,\u200d alleging it was marred by scandal according to a report \u200breleased by the House Judiciary\u200d and Oversight committees. The \u2062investigation focused on the General Services Administration&#8217;s (GSA)\u2063 decision to select Greenbelt,\u200c Maryland, as the site \u200bfor the new headquarters, overruling an earlier unanimous \u200cchoice of Springfield by a panel of officials.<\/p>\n<p>The committees found that\u200c GSA\u200d official Nina Albert significantly influenced the decision,\u2063 raising concerns \u200dabout her impartiality due to her previous\u200c role \u200bwith the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which\u200b owns the Greenbelt land.\u200b FBI Director Christopher Wray expressed\u200d concerns about potential conflicts of interest and lack of transparency in\u200b the process.<\/p>\n<p>Albert held a meeting that was not part of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/progressive-lawyers-help-biden-administration-gut-devoss-title-ix-rules\/\" title=\"Progressive Lawyers Help Biden Administration Gut DeVos\u2019s Title IX Rules\">official process<\/a> to advocate for Greenbelt, citing its socioeconomic impact, but the panel members maintained their support for Springfield. Despite calls for \u200binvestigation from Virginia lawmakers, \u2063the status of the GSA inspector general&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-finally-speaks-out-on-biden-impeachment-inquiry\/\" title=\"Trump comments on Biden impeachment inquiry.\">inquiry remains uncertain<\/a>. The\u200b committees warned that funding could be withheld if\u200c corrective measures were not implemented.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">FBI headquarters selection process was &lsquo;tainted by scandal,&rsquo; Congress says<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1353855\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE &mdash; <\/strong>House lawmakers criticized the agency responsible for selecting the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>FBI<\/a>&rsquo;s multibillion-dollar headquarters site on Wednesday, unveiling findings from their monthslong investigation into the matter and threatening to withhold funding unless corrective action was taken.<\/p>\n<p>The House Judiciary and Oversight committees released a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/755037936\/FBI-site-selection-report?secret_password=Z8LAHte3xC34xd91Y9qV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>report<\/a> on the General Services Administration&rsquo;s process of choosing Greenbelt, Maryland, as the site of the next FBI headquarters. After reviewing thousands of pages of documents and interviewing two key figures involved in choosing Greenbelt, the committees determined that the selection process was &ldquo;tainted by scandal.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>They highlighted their concerns with Nina Albert, who worked as a top <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Joe&nbsp;Biden\">Biden<\/a>-appointed official in the GSA.<\/p>\n<p>Albert, the committees found, had outsize influence in the selection process, a tense decadelong endeavor that ramped up in 2022, when Congress tasked the GSA with choosing Greenbelt or Landover, Maryland, or Springfield, Virginia, to build the headquarters.<\/p>\n<p>A three-person panel, consisting of two career GSA officials and an FBI employee named Shannon Parry, unanimously chose Springfield in July 2023, but the committees found that Albert overruled the panel months later and chose Greenbelt, a suburb less than an hour from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/washington-dc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Washington, D.C.\">Washington, D.C.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>When the GSA announced its choice of Greenbelt in November 2023, FBI Director Christopher Wray <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2436978\/fbi-headquarters-feud-intensifies-after-wray-raises-conflict-of-interest-concern\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>vocalized<\/a> worries he had with the decision, saying without naming her that Albert had a &ldquo;potential conflict of interest&rdquo; and that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/l-a-s-new-rules-on-encampments-limit-role-of-law-enforcement-seek-voluntary-compliance-from-homeless\/\" title=\"L.A.\u2019s New Rules On Encampments Limit Role Of Law Enforcement, Seek Voluntary Compliance From Homeless\">process lacked transparency<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Wray made clear his concern was with Albert&rsquo;s affiliation with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. Albert served as a vice president at WMATA before joining the GSA in July 2021, and WMATA and the state of Maryland own the land chosen for the FBI&rsquo;s new campus.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI has long sought a new headquarters, saying the J. Edgar Hoover Building, an aging low-rise in downtown Washington that has been the FBI&rsquo;s home since the 1970s, was deteriorating and no longer suitable.<\/p>\n<p>As part of their investigation, the committees spoke with Parry, who revealed, according to a transcript of her closed-door interview, that Albert held a &ldquo;back-check meeting&rdquo; after the panel unanimously chose Springfield and that during that meeting, Albert conveyed that she favored Greenbelt, in part because of the &ldquo;socioeconomic impact&rdquo; it would have on the area. Parry said the meeting was unplanned and occurred at the request of GSA, and that panel members reiterated their support for choosing Springfield. <\/p>\n<p>But during the meeting, &ldquo;the comments [from Albert] were that it was very clear that the Greenbelt location &hellip; would have a greater socioeconomic impact than the Springfield location,&rdquo; Parry told lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>Albert, in her own closed-door interview with lawmakers, disputed the term &ldquo;back-check&rdquo; and said the meeting was merely to &ldquo;see if there was any more discussion merited.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>While the site selection process granted Albert the final say in the headquarters location, the committees said her actions signaled that she lacked impartiality.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The revelation of this &lsquo;back-check&rsquo; meeting is concerning because it underscores the issues that Albert had with the panel&rsquo;s consensus decision,&rdquo; the committees wrote. &ldquo;This unusual and unscheduled meeting was the first sign of Albert&rsquo;s reluctance towards the panel&rsquo;s consensus recommendation of Springfield, and her favorability instead toward the Greenbelt site.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the FBI&rsquo;s concerns with the selection process, Albert said she was unfazed by the bureau and that she stood by her decision.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I mean, I don&rsquo;t have a reaction, candidly,&rdquo; she told the lawmakers. &ldquo;I know what my approach to reviewing the criteria was. I believe that I was fair in my application, and I tried to be as incredibly transparent as possible. I spent a lot of time writing the site selection decision so that Mr. Wray, others in the FBI, the American public could understand how I arrived there. And I stand by my decision.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Several Virginia lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle called for an investigation into the selection process last year upon learning from Wray of the controversy behind it. The GSA inspector general responded by opening an inquiry into it.<\/p>\n<p>The status of the inquiry is unclear, and the GSA inspector general did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The Transportation, Judiciary, and Oversight committees also wrote in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/755008698\/Three-Chairmen-to-GSA?secret_password=3QJARbp0ux7ul0fKZkM9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>letter<\/a> on Wednesday to Robin Carnahan, who heads the GSA, that because of their &ldquo;unresolved concerns,&rdquo; they would not approve the GSA&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-threatens-to-veto-energy-and-water-appropriations-bill\/\" title=\"White House may veto energy and water appropriations bill.\">current funding proposal<\/a> for the $4.5 billion complex.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In addition to threatening to deny future funding, the committees&rsquo; report included the recommendation that Congress rescind $200 million that it had already authorized for the GSA to use toward the headquarters. They also reiterated their call for the FBI to consider relocating out of the Washington area entirely to its sprawling and newly upgraded facility in Alabama.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The saga of the need for a new FBI headquarters and the politicized process of selecting a new location have dragged on for over a decade. The site-selection process was flawed from start to finish,&rdquo; the committees said, adding that<em> <\/em>&ldquo;much more may be needed to rectify this GSA site-selection processes in the future.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1353855\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1353855\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congress has labeled the FBI headquarters selection process as &#8220;tainted by scandal.&#8221; In an exclusive report, House lawmakers criticized the agency in charge of selecting the site for the FBI&#8217;s multibillion-dollar headquarters, revealing findings from a lengthy investigation and warning that they would withhold funding unless changes were made. The House Judiciary and Oversight committees published a report on how the General Services Administration (GSA) chose Greenbelt, Maryland, for the new headquarters. After examining thousands of documents and interviewing key individuals involved in the decision-making process, they concluded that it was marred by controversy.<\/p>\n<p>The committees expressed particular concern about Nina Albert, a senior official appointed by Biden at GSA. They found that she had significant influence over this decade-long selection process which intensified in 2022 when Congress directed GSA to choose between Greenbelt or Landover in Maryland or Springfield in Virginia for the new facility. A panel consisting of two career GSA officials and an FBI employee named Shannon Parry unanimously selected Springfield in July 2023; however, months later Albert overruled this decision and opted for Greenbelt instead.<\/p>\n<p>When GSA announced its choice of Greenbelt in November 2023, FBI Director Christopher Wray raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest involving Albert without naming her directly. He indicated that there were transparency issues related to her previous role as vice president at WMATA (Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority), which owns land designated for the new campus.<\/p>\n<p>The FBI has long sought a new headquarters due to deteriorating conditions at its current location\u2014the J. Edgar Hoover Building\u2014dating back to the 1970s. During their investigation, committee members learned from Parry that after Springfield was chosen unanimously by the panel, Albert held an unplanned &#8220;back-check meeting&#8221; where she expressed her preference for Greenbelt based on its anticipated socioeconomic impact on the area.<\/p>\n<p>Albert contested characterizing it as a &#8220;back-check&#8221; meeting during her own interview with lawmakers but acknowledged discussing whether further deliberation was warranted regarding site selection. The committees noted that this meeting indicated her bias against Springfield&#8217;s recommendation.<\/p>\n<p>In response to inquiries about these concerns from Congress regarding site selection processes, Albert stated she remained confident in her decisions and emphasized transparency throughout her review process.<\/p>\n<p>Following revelations about potential improprieties surrounding site selection last year\u2014prompted by Wray\u2019s comments\u2014Virginia lawmakers called for an investigation into these matters leading to an inquiry initiated by GSA\u2019s inspector general; however, its status remains unclear.<\/p>\n<p>On Wednesday, Transportation, Judiciary and Oversight committees informed Robin Carnahan\u2014the head of GSA\u2014that due to ongoing concerns they would not approve current funding proposals related to constructing a $4.5 billion complex while also recommending rescinding $200 million previously authorized funds intended for this project altogether. Additionally reiterated calls suggested relocating entirely out of Washington D.C., considering existing facilities available elsewhere like Alabama\u2019s upgraded campus\u2014a situation described as flawed throughout its duration according to congressional reports indicating more reforms may be necessary moving forward concerning future selections made under similar circumstances<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":2316955,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP23333855266747.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5591,9132,35486],"class_list":["post-2316954","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-fbi","tag-headquarters","tag-selection-process"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/AP23333855266747.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316954","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\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2316954"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2316954\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316955"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2316954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2316954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2316954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}