Former President Trump said Tuesday that he supports keeping the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., amid ongoing controversy over the bureau’s new headquarters location.
“THE NEW FBI BUILDING SHOULD BE BUILT IN WASHINGTON, D.C., NOT MARYLAND, AND BE THE CENTERPIECE OF MY PLAN TO TOTALLY RENOVATE AND REBUILD OUR CAPITAL CITY INTO THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND SAFEST ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“THE FBI MUST BE IN WALKING DISTANCE TO THE DOJ BUILDING IN THAT THE DOJ & FBI HAVE TO WORK CLOSELY TOGETHER. A TWO MINUTE WALK TO A MEETING IS FAR BETTER THAN A TRAFFIC LADEN TWO HOUR DRIVE TO GREENBELT, MARYLAND,” he continued.
After a years-long site selection process, the Biden administration selected Greenbelt, Md., as the location for the FBI’s newest headquarters last year, instead of the alternatives in Landover, Md., or Springfield, Va.
The FBI long complained about outgrowing the J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C. The new headquarters are expected to feature a 61-acre multi-use development complex next to the Greenbelt Metro station.
During his time in the White House, Trump attempted to block the headquarters’ relocation to the suburbs, as the existing downtown location is just blocks away from what was then his hotel and he didn’t want it to be redeveloped into a potential rival.
In his latest social media post, he further argued that having the FBI headquarters in D.C. would help stop crime in the city.
“LIKEWISE, HAVING THE FBI IN D.C. IS IMPORTANT FOR ENDING VIOLENT CRIME, WHICH I WILL DO, QUICKLY!!!” Trump wrote.
Once Trump left office, the GOP interest in the headquarters shifted, and at one point, conservatives floated moving them to Alabama.
The Biden administration’s pick of Maryland instead of Virginia drew sharp criticism from state leaders, who said they were “deeply disappointed” to hear of the choice last November.
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Virginia lawmakers requested an investigation into the selection process, which was led by the General Services Administration (GSA). The lawmakers suggested Greenbelt may have been improperly chosen.
Following the pick, FBI Director Christopher Wray sent a letter to FBI staff citing “concerns about fairness and transparency in the process and GSA’s failure to adhere to its own site selection plan.”
The Office of Inspector General agreed to start a review of the process following Wray’s letter.