U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, along with Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Adam Schiff, have called for the dismissal of Jared Wise from his position at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Wise was hired as a senior adviser to Ed Martin and the “Weaponization Working Group,” which has recently drawn attention for its tactics against political opponents.
Wise participated in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and faced multiple felony charges, including aiding and abetting the assault of police officers on Capitol grounds. His case was later dismissed following President Trump’s blanket pardon for more than 1,500 individuals involved in the insurrection.
In a letter to Attorney General Bondi, the senators stated: “We strongly object to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) shameless hiring of Jared Wise as a senior adviser. This is an individual who stormed the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, and was accordingly charged with multiple felony offenses, including assaulting and aiding and abetting the assault of police while on Capitol grounds. Mr. Wise’s hiring serves as yet another example of DOJ’s ongoing efforts to whitewash the lawlessness that occurred on January 6, when a violent mob ransacked the Capitol in an attempted insurrection that led to the deaths of multiple police officers and injuries to more than 140 others. Allowing Mr. Wise to perform any role at DOJ is an affront to those ably serving this country in law enforcement and can only be rectified by his immediate removal.”
The senators described Wise’s involvement during the insurrection according to court filings: “According to the complaint in Mr. Wise’s criminal case, he unlawfully entered the Capitol during the insurrection and participated in the assault of law enforcement officers. Body-worn camera footage from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) shows Mr. Wise telling officers: ‘You guys are disgusting. I’m former—I’m former law enforcement. You’re disgusting. You are the Nazi. You are the Gestapo. You can’t see it… Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you!’ Once the violent mob began to attack MPD officers holding the line in front of the Upper West Terrace of the Capitol building, Mr. Wise shouted: ‘Yeah, f*** them! Yeah, kill ‘em!’ A grand jury ultimately indicted Mr. Wise on six charges, including civil disorder, disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, assaulting law enforcement officers, and aiding and abetting an assault on law enforcement officers.”
The senators questioned whether Wise could uphold his oath as a DOJ official: “Mr. Wise lacks the high standard of impartiality required for DOJ officials, and his appointment poses a grave danger to the administration of justice. Upon his appointment, Wise was required to execute an oath of office—the same oath he swore when he began his service with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 2004. That oath requires that employees ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States,’ while bearing ‘true faith and allegiance to the same.’ We cannot be confident in Mr. Wise’s ability to uphold this oath, given his documented actions actively participating in the disruption of a peaceful transfer of power and the assault against law enforcement officers at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. He has shown no remorse for this inexcusable conduct—in fact, he has argued he would have been ‘morally justified’ in taking this conduct further. The severity of this conduct is all the more striking considering Mr. Wise’s prior service as an FBI special agent.”
They concluded their letter by criticizing Attorney General Bondi’s leadership at DOJ: “DOJ’s so-called ‘Weaponization Working Group’ is already a perversion of the Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law and is run by a highly partisan director, Ed Martin. The Trump Administration’s choices to double down on its politicization of DOJ and elevate those who have actively attacked the rule of law, such as Mr. Wise, are a slap in the face to law enforcement everywhere. Americans deserve capable and qualified public servants serving at the Justice Department. Anything less is a risk to our country and weakens our national security and public safety. A transparent explanation regardingthe circumstancesofthis hireandthepromptremovalofJared WisefromhispositionattheDepartmentofJusticearecriticaltomaintainingpublictrustinDepartment.”
A PDF copy of their letter is available online.
