NW Kentucky News

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer has initiated an investigation into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's handling of national crime data. The inquiry follows a significant revision by the FBI in its reported statistics for 2022. Initially, the FBI indicated a 1.7 percent decrease in violent crime, but later adjusted this to reflect a 4.5 percent increase, marking a notable change of 6.2 percent.

Chairman Comer addressed these concerns in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, seeking documents and communications involving the FBI, Department of Justice, and the White House related to crime statistics during the Biden-Harris Administration. Comer stated, "The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s failure to compile and report accurate, complete national crime data."

The discrepancy arose from missing data in the initial report that omitted thousands of incidents including murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults. This omission resulted in an incorrect portrayal of crime trends for 2022.

Comer emphasized concerns over potential political motivations behind these reporting errors: "The Committee is concerned that the FBI’s recent failures to report accurate crime data are politically motivated." He also requested relevant documents covering January 20, 2021, to present be submitted by November 14, 2024.