Rep. Don Beyer Calls For Face-To-Face Meeting With FBI Director Wray Over Bijan Ghaisar Civil Rights Investigation

Good to see Rep. Don Beyer is on top of this case. This whole thing stinks to high heaven!

Beyer Calls For Face-To-Face Meeting With FBI Director Wray Over Bijan Ghaisar Civil Rights Investigation

March 26, 2018 (Washington, D.C.) –  Today, Rep. Don Beyer sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray requesting a meeting, and asking that the FBI grant permission to local entities to publicly disclose the 9-1-1 call recordings that are affiliated with the Bijan Ghaisar case. In addition, Rep. Beyer pushed for an expedited response to his unanswered January 30, 2018 letter.

Rep. Beyer wrote:

“I want to meet because I am deeply concerned about lack of timeliness of the FBI’s civil rights investigation into the shooting death by U.S. Park Police of 25-year-old Bijan Ghaisar last November.

“I also urge the FBI to give permission to local entities to release the 9-1-1 recordings related to the case. The Northern Virginia public demands high transparency and accountability standards from its local government and law enforcement entities.  Failure to be responsive and transparent undermines public trust. We ask that you allow the local entities to publicly release the 9-1-1 records affiliated with the Ghaisar case.”

The full text of the letter appears below and the signed copy is here.

The Honorable Christopher A. Wray
Federal Bureau of Investigation
U.S. Department of Justice
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 7240
Washington, DC 20535-0001

Dear Director Wray:

I am writing to both request a meeting and also ask that the FBI give permission to local entities to publicly disclose the 9-1-1 phone call recordings with the public that are affiliated with the Bijan Ghaisar case. Additionally, I have yet to have questions answered from the January 30, 2018 letter and request an expedited response.

I want to meet because I am deeply concerned about lack of timeliness of the FBI’s civil rights investigation into the shooting death by U.S. Park Police of 25-year-old Bijan Ghaisar last November. While I appreciate the candor and constancy of phone calls to date with the FBI, I want to speak face-to-face given the legitimate and heightened concern from the local community. In particular, I am requesting a timeline for the investigation’s probable conclusion.

My understanding is that the FBI is assessing only whether Bijan Ghaisar’s civil rights were violated. Until the FBI civil rights investigation is closed, we cannot have wholesale review of Park Police actions and engagement – from how they received emergency information to when the case was turned over to the FBI. That type of review is imperative.

I also urge the FBI to give permission to local entities to release the 9-1-1 recordings related to the case. The Northern Virginia public demands high transparency and accountability standards from its local government and law enforcement entities.  Failure to be responsive and transparent undermines public trust. We ask that you allow the local entities to publicly release the 9-1-1 records affiliated with the Ghaisar case.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

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