July 11, 2017

For Immediate Release

Statement of Prince George’s County Councilman Mel Franklin on the Trump Administration’s Cancellation of FBI Headquarters Search

Councilman Calls Decision Harmful to National Security and Questions Timing in Light of Ongoing Trump-Russia Collusion Investigation

Contact: Mel@melfranklin.net

Upper Marlboro, MD – According to published reports, the Administration of President Donald Trump has cancelled the Federal Government’s solicitation to replace and consolidate the outdated and crumbling headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), which has been investigating the 2016 Trump Campaign’s alleged collusion with the Russian Government.  Today, County Councilman Mel Franklin (D-District 9) issued the following statement:

“The Trump Administration’s apparent decision to cancel the replacement and consolidation of the headquarters of our nation’s most important federal investigative agency is damaging to our national security.  On the heels of the unjustified firing of former FBI Director James Comey, this is yet another decision that raises questions about the competence of the Trump Administration to protect our nation, especially while the FBI investigates the growing likelihood that the Trump Campaign colluded with the Russian Government to assist in winning the 2016 Presidential Election.  Bipartisan officials and experts have highlighted the growing deficiencies and national security risks created by the deteriorating Hoover Building, which can only hold little more than half of the agency’s more than 11,000 employees, with the rest of the agency’s employees scattered among more than a dozen offices in the Washington region.  A consolidated, secure FBI headquarters is vital to the agency’s mission of protecting the homeland of our great country, giving our outstanding FBI employees the proper base of operations to defend our nation against terrorism and other threats.”

Councilman Franklin also contends that the cancellation of such a major federal procurement in its late stages after several years of work by the private sector sends a chilling and damaging message to the business community.

“The lengthy pursuit of the FBI headquarters consolidation has cost the private sector millions of dollars and placed a number of sites in the Washington region in limbo, creating uncertainty for job creation and economic development.  With the cancellation of this important project, all of that work may have been in vain.  Once again, this raises serious doubts about whether the Trump Administration is competent to lead and manage our federal government.”

###