A confidential Government Accountability Office report obtained by Racket News reporter Ryan Lovelace and published Thursday reveals the FBI conducted more than 1,000 warrantless "assessments."
The targets were religious organizations, journalists, public officials, and political candidates between 2018 and 2024 — despite those subjects not being accused of a crime.
The January 2026 report, marked for destruction when no longer needed, details how FBI assessments allow agents to investigate without evidence of wrongdoing, using tools such as physical surveillance, confidential informants, subpoenas for electronic communications, and purchased online data.
The GAO found that over 100 religious organizations and leaders, dozens of media entities, and more than 500 public officials were scrutinized through these warrantless inquiries.
While the FBI told investigators most tips originate from confidential human sources, government agencies, and the public, the GAO report identified cases where assessments were opened without proper authorization and where agents used investigative methods improperly.
According to the report, the FBI opened and later closed roughly 127,000 assessments from 2018 through 2024. Only about 14% of early assessments were converted into full investigations, suggesting that most produced no actionable results.
In sensitive "special investigative matter" categories, the GAO tracked around 1,100 assessments, with fewer than half resulting in investigations.
Former FBI agent Mike German warned that the expanded authority of assessments has enabled broad collection of personal dossiers on Americans without reasonable suspicion.
Cato Institute senior fellow Patrick Eddington criticized the system as wasteful and prone to abuse, arguing that the FBI's internal incentive structure encourages opening investigations even when no legitimate criminal basis exists.
The FBI declined to comment on the findings. The GAO reportedly told Racket News it would not release the report publicly.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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