Republican puts DOJ and FBI on notice: "Don't shred a single document"

Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, issued a warning to President Joe Biden's Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI on Tuesday, saying in part, "Don't delete a single file. Accountability is coming."

Hawley posted a letter on X, formerly Twitter, addressed to FBI Director Chris Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, saying he has heard that federal employees are "destroying records" in an attempt to conceal "misconduct" allegedly perpetrated under the Biden administration.

Hawley claimed the FBI and DOJ have "engaged in unprecedented abuses of the justice system," noting the prosecutions of President-elect Donald Trump. Hawley also said that both federal agencies have prosecuted "pro-life Americans" while also accusing them of recruiting undercover informants in Catholic churches.

Newsweek reached out to the DOJ via online form and the FBI via email Tuesday night for comment.

Newsweek cannot immediately verify the number of reports Hawley has received but has reached out to the senator's office via email for comment. As of 9:50 p.m. ET, Hawley's post on X had garnered more than 390,000 views and over 2,000 replies.

Trump faced federal cases headed by DOJ special counsel Jack Smith, who leveled charges against him over efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and surrounding Trump's activities leading up to the January 6, 2021, siege on the U.S. Capitol. Trump also faced a federal case involving his handling of classified documents. Smith dropped both cases after Trump won last month's presidential election.

The president-elect during the weekend announced Kash Patel as his choice to direct the FBI, saying in part, "I am proud to announce that Kashyap 'Kash' Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and 'America First' fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People."

Patel would replace Wray, Trump's previous FBI director, if the Senate confirms the nomination. Wray's term is not over, but he is able to resign or be let go by an incoming president.

Trump also added in his post on Truth Social that Patel did an "incredible job" during the president-elect's first term, saying he has "tried over 60 jury trials."

"This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI," Trump said.

The president-elect previously nominated Bondi, former attorney general for Florida, after first choosing then-U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz of Florida, but was met with a wave of backlash as Gaetz was facing an ethics committee investigation. Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration following the uproar but has backed Bondi as Trump's new pick.