Headline Roundup • August 31st, 2022
FBI Agent Accused of Political Bias in Hunter Biden Probe Resigns
Summary from the AllSides News Team
An FBI agent accused of political bias in the Hunter Biden probe left the agency last week.
According to reports from across the political spectrum, Timothy Thibault was recently removed from his position as assistant special agent after coming under fire from Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who accused him of "improper conduct" in the federal probe of Hunter Biden. Grassley alleged that Thibault tried to shut down any investigation activity regarding Hunter Biden, and also that when seeking approval to open an investigation into former President Donald Trump's 2020 campaign, Thibault relied primarily on left-leaning organizations.
A statement from Thibault's counsel said that he was "not fired, not forced to retire and not asked to retire." Thibault had reached retirement age, and FBI agents are normally escorted from the building when they retire after handing over their badge and gun. His counsel also addressed allegations that Thibault had violated the Hatch Act, which restricts political activity of executive branch employees, with his social media posts criticizing Trump and former Attorney General William Barr. Those allegations are being investigated by the Office of Special Counsel, and Thibault is reportedly cooperating.
Right-rated sources covered the news prominently, while very few left-rated sources covered it. CBS News covered it similarly to how right-rated sources did, but placed more focus on how Thibault had reportedly reached retirement age.
Featured Coverage of this Story
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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...
CBS News (Online)
Timothy Thibault, a top-level FBI agent who had been under fire for his role in investigations regarding President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, resigned late last week and was walked out of the FBI, two U.S. officials confirmed. But these officials also said that Thibault had reached retirement age, and they added that all of those who retire hand over their badge and gun and are escorted out of the building.
Thibault, who worked in the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., had recently been removed from his position as assistant special agent...
Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images
A top FBI official who came under fire from Republicans over whistleblower complaints, including claims about the investigation into Hunter Biden, and his anti-Trump social media posts has retired from the bureau, his legal counsel confirmed on Tuesday.
Timothy Thibault, the FBI assistant special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office, "was not fired, not forced to retire, and not asked to retire," lawyers representing him from Morrison & Foerster LLP said in a statement shared on Twitter by CBS News's Catherine Herridge.
Thibault's lawyers strongly rejected early reporting on Thibault's departure from the FBI...
