FBI Director Robert Mueller plans to respond to allegations that high-ranking Justice Department officials, including Attorney General Eric Holder, are improperly using FBI jets for personal travel, according to a report by CNN.
Robert Mueller (photo by Channing Turner / Main Justice)
Four GOP lawmakers wrote Mueller a letter last week asking several detailed questions about how the FBI’s aircraft are being used by department officials. The questions came after a confidential source alleged misuse to Sen. Charles Grassley, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s ranking member.
The letter said lawmakers were concerned that department officials may have FBI planes when they were needed for official operations. The unidentified source also told the lawmakers that the FBI was funding Justice Department executive travel, despite the department maintaining its own budget for such expenses.
Mueller responded to Grassley at a committee hearing in May, saying FBI missions always take precedence over other forms of travel. The FBI director said he plans to respond to last week’s letter himself.
Grassley, an Iowa Republican, was joined by Rep. Lamar Smith (Texas), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (Texas) and Rep. Frank Wolf (Va.) in signing the letter.
An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
