Fmr. FBI Agent Timothy Thibault Denies Sabotaging Hunter Biden Investigation: ‘Not Involved In Any Decisions’ With the Laptop
Lawyers representing recently ousted FBI agent Timothy Thibault issued a statement in defense of their client, denying charges of political bias and claims that he corrupted investigations into Hunter Biden.
Thibault, formerly an Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, retired from the Bureau last week after nearly 20 years of service. He has been a recent target of Donald Trump and conservative media due to accusations of partisanship and interference connected to the investigation of laptop once owned by President Joe Biden’s son.
Thibault’s lawyers have denied the accusations against him — as Morrison & Foerster LLP, the law firm representing him, gave a statement to TIME stating he “did not supervise the investigation of Hunter Biden,” as he stands accused of doing. The firm also said Thibault was “not involved in any decisions related to any laptop that may be at issue in that investigation,” that he “did not seek to close the investigation,” and that his work did not display political partisanship.
TIME also obtained a statement from Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who was the first to raise the allegation that Thibault sought to stem damaging information from the ongoing investigation of Hunter Biden’s business activities. In his statement, Grassley argued that Thibault’s statement “fails to address the allegations brought forth by whistleblowers who provided specific and credible allegations of political bias and his failure to comply with Department and FBI guidelines and standards.”
“Political bias should have no place at the FBI,” he continues. “We need accountability, which is why Congress must continue investigating and the inspector general must fully investigate as I’ve requested.”
In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier this month, FBI Director Chris Wray noted that the Hunter Biden probe was being conducted by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office and the Delaware U.S. Attorney’s office, not the Washington Field Office where Thibault worked. While Trump has claimed — without evidence — that Thibault was somehow involved in the FBI’s search for the classified documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago, Thibault’s legal team denied that their client was involved in the planning or execution of the search.
“He firmly believes that any investigation will conclude that his supervision, leadership and decision making were not impacted by political bias or partisanship of any kind,” Thibault’s legal team said. “He is confident that all of his decisions were consistent with the FBI’s highest standards for ethics and integrity.”
