CNN’s Michael Smerconish and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) tussled over the firing of dozens of FBI agents connected to cases involving President Donald Trump.

On Friday night, FBI agents tied to the investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the now-dismissed classified documents case against Trump were fired in what critics described as a purge.

In a Saturday interview, Smerconish pushed Donalds on the firings, telling him, “surely, you recognize the chilling impact.” Smerconish argued such a move could indicate less oversight of the current administration as agents will be too scared to investigate “malfeasance” within in.

Donalds accused the agents of using “misinformation” to inflate crimes and target Trump. He claimed “rank and file” FBI agents were “shaking their heads” at Trump-related cases.

Check out the debate below:

MICHAEL SMERCONISH: “Congressman, surely you recognize the chilling impact in all of this. Who in the world, in the FBI, if this takes place, is going to be willing to investigate any malfeasance alleged within this administration. People are going to say, if I now pursue what is reported as someone breaking the law who works for this president, I’m going to lose my job.”

BYRON DONALDS: “No, that’s that’s simply not true because there’s a difference between you have actual evidence that would lead towards an investigation versus, no pun intended, trumped up evidence, which is exactly what took place as far back as the Russia collusion scandal. They lied to the FISA courts knowingly to open up an investigation into President Trump’s first presidential campaign. They lied to the FISA courts. They were using misinformation. They were letting laundered doctored evidence into that situation. And we have all the proof for that. Then you have to deal with the fact that, yes, during this current presidential campaign, the Biden administration and the Department of Justice were either working with or allowing these indictments, which were silly. Everybody knew they were political, but they were allowed to continue. They brought in Jack Smith. They raided Mar-A-Lago. I mean, I can go on. You cannot allow our system of justice to be degraded to such a degree basically for politics.”

SMERCONISH: “I hear you—”

DONALDS: “So it’s not a chilling effect.”

SMERCONISH: “Let me just—”

“DONALDS: “Real quick and I want to add this point. I would add for the rank and file FBI agents who do their job every single day, they were shaking their heads to saying, what the hell is going on? We need this place cleaned up.”

SMERCONISH: “Just so you know, I myself have been plenty critical of Merrick Garland and Jack Smith and this whole process over several years. I’m not thinking about them. I’m thinking about a woman, a man in the DC field office who played no policy role, was given an assignment to go out and conduct an investigation whose name now shows up on a list. It sounds awfully McCarthy-like. And they might lose their job.”

Watch above via CNN.

The post ‘Surely, You Recognize the Chilling Impact of This’ Smerconish and Byron Donalds Tussle Over Fired FBI Agents first appeared on Mediaite.

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