{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/10/crime/video-blackburn-sounds-alarm-on-biden-fbi-weaponization-praises-memphis-safe-task-force-success", "VIDEO: Blackburn Sounds Alarm on Biden FBI Weaponization, Praises Memphis Safe Task Force Success", "2025-10-08", "2025", "2025-10", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor calling out the weaponization of the Biden Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) following a report that former Special Counsel Jack Smith allegedly tracked the private communications of eight U.S. Senators. Senator Blackburn also praised President Trump\u2019s incredible success so far in cracking down on crime in Memphis and the need to pass her Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act.\n\nClick here to download Senator Blackburn\u2019s remarks on the Senate floor.\n\nREMARKS AS PREPARED\n\nUnder Joe Biden and Chris Wray, FBI Was Rotten to the Core\n\n\u201cWe know that under Joe Biden and Chris Wray\u2019s leadership, the FBI was rotten to the core.\n\nIn many ways, they oversaw the worst political corruption of the justice system in our nation\u2019s history.\n\nThey raided Mar-a-Lago, indicted President Trump on baseless charges, and weaponized America\u2019s top law enforcement agency against conservatives, parents, and Americans of faith.\n\nThe Biden FBI\u2019s Weaponization Reached the Halls of Congress\n\nOn Monday, we found out that this abuse of power reached the halls of Congress.\n\nThanks to internal FBI documents provided by Director Patel and Deputy Director Bongino to Chairman Grassley, we now know that the Biden FBI tracked the private communications of eight U.S. Senators, including myself.\n\nThe one thing we have in common: We\u2019re all Republicans.\n\nAccording to the documents, the Biden FBI tracked who we were calling on our cell phones, where we made the calls, and the location of where the calls were received.\n\nThis abuse of authority was despicable. But it went well beyond us.\n\nThe Trump Administration Is Committed to Total Transparency for the American People\n\nEarlier this year, Chairman Grassley released whistleblower disclosures showing that the Biden FBI obtained the government-issued cellphones of President Trump and Former Vice President Pence.\n\nLast month, we learned that the agency launched a political investigation into nearly 100 Republican and conservative groups, including the Republican National Committee, the Republican Attorneys General Association, and Charlie Kirk\u2019s Turning Point USA.\n\nWe\u2019re only learning about this weaponization of government because the Trump administration is committed to total transparency for the American people.\n\nI appreciate Director Patel and Deputy Director Bongino for launching an investigation into this corruption.\n\nRest assured: We will expose every last one of the leftist bureaucrats who thought this was okay.\n\nThe Trump Justice Department is Enforcing the Rule of Law in Memphis\n\nYesterday, my colleagues and I on the Judiciary Committee had the pleasure of hearing from Attorney General Bondi, who has done so much to restore accountability at the Justice Department.\n\nInstead of waging political investigations, the department under her leadership is focused on enforcing the rule of law\u2014including in Memphis.\n\nAs we speak, the Justice Department and FBI are among 13 federal agencies that are on the ground working with local and state officials to support the Memphis Police Department and lock up violent criminals.\n\nPresident Trump\u2019s Memphis Safe Task Force Has Already Delivered Tremendous Results\n\nIn just over a week of operations, President Trump\u2019s Memphis Safe Task Force has delivered tremendous results.\n\nAs of Monday, authorities have made 321 arrests, including\u2026\n\n82 on ICE warrants;\n\n41 on gun charges,\n\n18 for sex offenses,\n\nAnd 1 for homicide.\n\nThis support has been desperately needed.\n\nLast year, Memphis saw the highest crime rate in the country. In some parts of the city, shootings, robberies, and murders are a daily occurrence.\n\nMemphis Police Officers Are Now Empowered to Track Down Violent Criminals\n\nMemphians have long demanded action to address the city\u2019s crime crisis. But the Memphis Police Department is short 500 officers, with just over 20 people in its recruitment class.\n\nWith federal law enforcement helping keep the peace, Memphis police are now empowered to track down repeat, violent criminals, including gang members who have terrorized city residents for far too long.\n\nAt the same time as the Memphis operation, the Trump administration has surged federal resources to other crime-plagued cities to restore law and order.\n\nIn Portland and Chicago, ICE agents have had to overcome obstruction efforts by Democrat officials to detain criminal illegal aliens.\n\nCongress Must Pass the Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act to End Cashless Bail Nationwide\n\nTo preserve the hard-fought wins of the Memphis Safe Task Force and federal law enforcement across the country, we need to make certain that these violent criminals remain behind bars.\n\nYet in too many cases, soft-on-crime prosecutors and judges have allowed violent criminals back on the streets without bail to continue their criminal activity.\n\nLast year in Memphis, an 18-year-old who was released without bond after stealing multiple vehicles went on to murder a man in an attempted robbery.\n\nJust days earlier, a man released without bail after being charged with auto theft and unlawful possession of a weapon killed a Memphis police officer in a shootout.\n\nDuring a Judiciary Committee hearing that I chaired last week on \u201cBlue City Chaos and Tragedy,\u201d State Senator Brent Taylor, who represents parts of Memphis, told me that soft-on-crime prosecutors are the \u201cweak link\u201d in the city\u2019s law enforcement efforts.\n\nAfter years of senseless violence, we cannot allow the hard work of the Memphis Safe Task Force to go to waste.\n\nTo ensure that the rule of law is enforced, I recently reintroduced the Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act.\n\nThis is legislation backed by the White House that would ban the award of certain federal funds to states and localities that limit the use of cash bail.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:32:54Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/10/crime/video-blackburn-sounds-alarm-on-biden-fbi-weaponization-praises-memphis-safe-task-force-success"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9103840459138155, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}