Republican senator praises FBI’s ‘amazing work’ amid GOP scrutiny of agency

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) on Saturday offered praise for the FBI and intelligence community after federal authorities thwarted a planned Christmas Day terrorist attack in San Francisco.

“The thwarted ISIS-inspired attack on San Francisco’s Pier 39 is yet another example of the amazing work that the @FBI & intel community do every day,” Lankford tweeted.

“Most Americans will never know these heroes or the many threats they stop. I’m thankful to Christopher Wray & his team.”

The thwarted ISIS-inspired attack on San Francisco’s Pier 39 is yet another example of the amazing work that the @FBI & intel community do every day. Most Americans will never know these heroes or the many threats they stop. I’m thankful to Christopher Wray & his team.

— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) December 23, 2017

The FBI investigated the would-be attack by Everitt Aaron Jameson, a 26-year-old tow-truck driver, on San Francisco’s Pier 39, a popular tourist destination in the city, and arrested the suspect after he talked to an undercover agent about his plans.

Lankford’s praise for the FBI comes as many Republican lawmakers and President Trump himself have questioned the agency’s work, particularly its handling of an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and whether it is biased against the president. 

Trump unleashed a series of tweets earlier this month taking aim at the FBI, whose reputation, he said, is in “tatters.”

Other Republicans have ramped up questions about bias in the agency, especially after it was revealed that a former FBI agent on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team investigating Russia’s election meddling had sent text messages critical of Trump during the 2016 campaign.

Trump has also questioned the U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that the Kremlin sought to interfere in the 2016 presidential election and sway the race in Trump’s favor.