Wray FBI opened 1,200 'assessments' of sensitive figures like politicians, journalists and clergy
"Assessments" were created in 2008 as a special investigative tool for the FBI that require no factual predicate to launch and permit agents to use a wide range of investigative techniques.
By Jerry Dunleavy and Steven Richards
Published: February 13, 2026 11:14pm
Updated: February 14, 2026 7:55am
The FBI opened 1,200 probes related to politicians, journalists, religious leaders, academics and others tied to “sensitive investigative matters,” using a special investigative tool that requires no factual predicate to launch, according to a Government Accountability Office report.
The GAO report, which was obtained by Just the News, was published last month but not made public, and it was titled FBI Investigative Activities: Oversight Efforts of Opening and Conducting Assessments Should be Strengthened.
The report, which assists in congressional oversight of the executive branch, provided details on the roughly 127,000 FBI "assessments" in all opened from 2018 to 2024, the vast majority of which were eventually closed without accusations of wrongdoing or criminal charges against those targets being scrutinized.
The 57-page report did not include any names of those targeted for assessment.
https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/fbi-opened-1200-assessments-politicians-journalists-religious-leaders
