GOP split over ‘crumbling’ FBI HQ: 70 conservative congressmen vote in favor of $300 million in funding for the agency's new national headquarters in Maryland

The FBI will build a new headquarters in Maryland "larger than the Pentagon." Despite the announcement, the debate over the bureau's new headquarters is still not over, regarding both the location as well as the cost and size. On Wednesday, 70 GOP congressmen voted to approve $300 million in funds for the new complex, once again revealing the existing fracture in the conservative party.

FBI leaders disagree with move to Maryland

FBI leadership are not convinced of the necessity of the new headquarters, preferring that the office remain in Washington, D.C. Among their reasons, according to The Washington Post, they like the proximity to the Department of Justice, located across the street, in addition to the high level visibility as a public symbol of law and order between the White House and the United States Capitol. In addition, each morning there are meetings between DOJ and FBI officials in a secure room at the agency directed by Merrick Garland.

Cracks in the FBI headquarters... and in the GOP

However, the current FBI building is not the only thing that is "crumbling." The rifts between Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives continue to widen. This was evident from the 70 conservative congressmen who approved the $300 million destined for the new FBI headquarters. Matt Gaetz was especially harsh in his speech before the vote and later on social media, accusing his party colleagues of rewarding an institution that persecutes citizens who disagree.

Guess what? Our country is crumbling when a weaponized security state targets the civil liberties of American citizens because of their politics.

Those in the J. Edgar Hoover Building should sit in that rat-infested building until they get their act straight.