Following his arrest on money laundering charges and violating U.S. sanctions, Charles McGonigal, the former FBI official in charge of counterintelligence in the FBI’s New York Field Office, now faces a House Judiciary Republicans probe, according to the Washington Times.
#BREAKING: @Jim_Jordan and @RepMattGaetz Launch Investigation into McGonigal Scandal pic.twitter.com/FTAgwhHKsc
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) February 2, 2023
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) wrote a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, asking the agency to turn over all documents and communications between McGonigal and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska after revelations of alleged collusion between the two men.
NEW @cbsnews obtains @JudiciaryGOP letter requesting info from FBI about indicted ex-official Charles McGonigal as part of probe into allegations of political bias. "This misconduct further erodes public confidence in the FBI's conduct ..” @Jim_Jordan @mattgaetz wrote Wray. pic.twitter.com/00BvmMtVeC
— Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) February 2, 2023
The lawmakers have also requested that the FBI turn over all material related to the FBI’s efforts to mitigate national security risks posed by McGonigal’s alleged actions. Wray now has two weeks to comply with the lawmakers’ demands.
Jordan and Gaetz wrote in the letter that McGonigal’s misconduct “erodes public confidence” in the FBI and law enforcement. The lawmakers added that McGonigal’s indictment raised fresh concerns about the FBI’s counterintelligence efforts during his employment with the agency, especially during the Trump-Russia collusion investigation.
“According to reports, McGonigal previously played an instrumental role ‘in the decision to launch the Crossfire Hurricane investigation’ against then-candidate Donald Trump.”
BREAKING: @JudiciaryGOP Chairman @Jim_Jordan and I are demanding a briefing from the FBI on Charles McGonigal, former Special Agent and influential figure in the Russia Hoax, to assess the national security risks he caused after taking illegal payments from Russian oligarchs: https://t.co/L2fGFEu66T
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) February 2, 2023
The lawmakers noted that McGonigal was working with former British spy Christopher Steele, whose bogus information played a vital role in the FBI’s efforts to obtain a wiretap on then-candidate Trump’s campaign associate Carter Page.
Jordan and Gaetz also demanded that the FBI turn over all McGonigal records, including work history, security clearance, and evaluation forms.
According to a five-count indictment unsealed in federal court in New York, McGonigal is accused of working for Deripaska, a Russian aluminum magnate who has close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
A five-count indictment charging McGonigal was unsealed last week. https://t.co/p1JCKWnE7h
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 2, 2023
Federal prosecutors claim McGonigal and Sergey Shestakov, a former Russian diplomat now a U.S. citizen, worked with Deripaska to investigate the oligarch’s rival in 2021, according to CBS News.
McGonigal is also facing federal charges in Washington, D.C. after prosecutors there said he allegedly received at least $225,000 in cash from an individual with business interests in Europe. The individual is also reported to have worked for a foreign intelligence service.
McGonigal has pleaded not guilty to all New York and Washington charges.
