Two Brookings Institution fellows filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to force the release an annual FBI "climate survey" where employees anonymously share their perspective on the performance of FBI leaders and the organization, Talking Points Memo reports.
Ben Wittes and Scott Anderson filed a Freedom of Information Act in April requesting the document, but had not received it or a reason for a delay in its release as of Friday, when their suit was filed in Washington, D.C.
The lawsuit comes one year after President Donald Trump fired James Comey as FBI director, with the White House claiming Comey had lost the confidence of the bureau's rank and file. The 2017 survey, though, showed Comey was highly respected and trusted within the bureau during his nearly four-year tenure.
Using a 1-to-5 scale, where scores between 3.81 and 5 are considered a "success in those areas," Comey received average scores of 4.67, 4.39 and 4.38, respectively, on the morale question.
Wittes and Anderson argue the public deserves to see the results of the 2018 survey as they will reveal the pulse of the FBI year into Trump's tenure.
"The FBI faced many challenges over the past year, following President Trump's decision to fire Director Comey," it reads. "The president and his allies have accused specific FBI personnel of skewing investigative results, abusing surveillance authorities, and engaging in a vendetta against the president. The president has also repeatedly attacked the integrity of the FBI and its agents on Twitter."
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