Durham Report Sparks Calls for FBI Reform, New Poll Finds
In a recent online poll, the large majority of respondents believed that either Congress should step in to reform the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or that the agency should be shut down and rebuilt from scratch following the release of the Durham Report.
Respondents to the May 31 to June 2 Issues & Insights/TechnoMetrica Institute of Policy and Politics (I&I/TIPP) poll demonstrated that Americans are largely frustrated and angered with the FBI’s apparent politicization.
The participants were asked to choose from four potential actions to address the issues plaguing the FBI, ranging from taking no action to major reform for the agency.
The initial choice presented was a mild approach, suggesting that “The FBI should be left alone, it has learned its lesson.” A mere 15 percent of Americans opted for this “do nothing” response.
The second option proposed that Congress should step in and “reform the FBI to prevent its interference in future elections.” This alternative garnered the highest overall support, with 39 percent of respondents favoring this approach.
The third and most drastic action put forth was to “shut down the FBI and rebuild it from scratch, as it cannot be trusted to perform its duties.” This alternative received 24 percent of the tally.
A significant portion of respondents, 22 percent, expressed uncertainty by selecting the “Not sure” option.
The statistics suggest that the FBI is facing a serious crisis of confidence, as 63 percent of all Americans either advocate for substantial congressional reform or advocate for its closure, followed by a complete rebuild.
The consensus that the FBI necessitates significant reform was widely bipartisan. Among those who support congressional reform, 45 percent were Democrats, 39 percent were Republicans, and 32 percent were independents.
Regarding the more stringent measure of closing down the FBI and rebuilding it from scratch, Democrats showed less support, with only 14 percent in favor. In contrast, 37 percent of Republicans and 25 percent of independents supported this option.
The “do-nothing” choice failed to receive even 20 percent support from any political party or affiliation. However, a higher proportion of Democrats (19 percent) preferred taking no action regarding the FBI rather than completely shutting it down and initiating a rebuild (14 percent).
The Durham Report accused the FBI of intervening in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections by conducting a botched investigation of potential “collusion” between the Donald Trump campaign and Russia.
The 306-page report was particularly harsh in its criticism of the FBI’s use of “raw, unanalyzed, and uncorroborated intelligence” in its investigation of Trump’s alleged “collusion” with Russia during the 2016 presidential election.
“As the more complete record now shows, there are specific areas of Crossfire Hurricane (the FBI’s covert investigation of the Trump campaign) activity in which the FBI badly underperformed and failed, not only in its duties to the public, but also in preventing the severe reputational harm that has befallen the FBI as a consequence of Crossfire Hurricane,” Special Counsel John Durham wrote in his report, concluding a four-year investigation.
The FBI did not immediately respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.
