Timothy Thibault, an FBI agent accused of political bias over his role in the Hunter Biden laptop investigation, retired from his job on Friday.
The former Assistant Special Agent in Charge was escorted out of his Washington D.C. office, as is standard practice, according to Fox News.
Thibault rose to public attention as one of 13 assistant special agents who was investigating Biden's laptop, which the FBI seized in 2019, ahead of the 2020 presidential election.
Earlier in August he was removed from this supervisory role by FBI director Christopher Wray, following whistleblower accusations of bias the bureau chief described as "deeply troubling."
On Thursday Republican Senator Ron Johnson wrote to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Inspector General at the Department of Justice, alleging politically motivated "corruption" within the bureau.
Claiming to have heard from whistleblowers, the GOP lawmaker wrote: "Recently, my office heard from individuals with knowledge of the FBI's apparent corruption.
"After the FBI obtained the Hunter Biden laptop from the Wilmington, DE computer shop, these whistleblowers stated that local FBI leadership told employees, 'You will not look at that Hunter Biden laptop' and that the FBI is 'not going to change the outcome of the election again.'
"While I understand your hesitation to investigate a matter that may be related to an ongoing investigation, it is clear to me based on numerous credible whistleblower disclosures that the FBI cannot be trusted with the handling of Hunter Biden's laptop."
Another GOP Congressman, Senator Chuck Grassley, singled out Thibault for criticism.
In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Wray he accused Thibault of "improper conduct," arguing he tried to shut down the Biden investigation.
Grassley wrote: "As you are aware, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Thibault is not the only politically biased FBI agent at the Washington Field Office."
The news that Thibault had retired caused an explosive reaction from conservative figures on social media.
Taking to his Truth Social website Donald Trump said the agent had been "hiding and suppressing from the Public and the Media" the "Laptop from Hell," ahead of the 2020 election.
He also claimed Thibault "got the FBI to do a raid on a home, Mar-a-Lago, that has 'stirred' the world."
However, Fox news reports Thibault was not involved in the FBI Mar-a-Lago raid, on August 8, "at any level."
Charlie Kirk, founder of conservative group Turning Point USA, joined the Republican outrage tweeting: "Tim Thibault, the Anti-Trump Activist FBI special agent who opened Trump investigation was reportedly escorted out of Bureau headquarters on Friday.
"He was a 25-year veteran of the force with reported ties to the Clintons & Obamas. What's going on in DC?"
On Thursday Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook's parent company Meta, was challenged over his company's handling of the controversy during an appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast.
Facebook had restricted the story's spread, following a disinformation warning from the FBI.
Zuckerberg said: "Yeah, it sucks. It turned out, after the fact, the fact-checkers looked into it. No one was able to say it was false.
"I think it sucks, though, in the same way that probably having to go through a criminal trial but being proven innocent in the end sucks."
Both Facebook and Twitter restricted the reach of a New York Post article published in October 2020, which contained what were reported to be emails between Hunter Biden and a Ukrainian businessman.
The FBI has been contacted for comment.
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About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
