OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – There have been no threats reported at the FBI’s Oklahoma City field office in the last week, but they are still paying attention to the increased hate aimed at the agency.
On-camera interviews were denied out of safety for their employees.
Their media spokesperson sent the following statement to KFOR:
“The FBI is always concerned about violence and threats of violence to law enforcement, including the men and women of the FBI. We work closely with our law enforcement partners to assess and respond to such threats, which are reprehensible and dangerous. As always, we would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious to report it to law enforcement immediately.
We are also aware of planned protest activity around the country. The FBI respects the rights of individuals to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights. We advise individuals taking part in protest activities to remain aware of their immediate surroundings and to report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement.”
FBI Spokesperson
Oklahoma lawmakers have helped fuel the distrust in the FBI.
Congressman Markwayne Mullin spoke to the media on Friday, asking rhetorically why Americans should believe in the FBI.
“Where is it that Director Wray thinks that the Seventh Floor of the Hoover building has earned the trust of the American people,” asked Mullin.
Oklahoma State Senator Nathan Dahm chimed in with his own statement, which said the FBI search of former President Trump “should frighten those who cherish their freedoms.”
And Congressman Tom Cole said that the public will think the agency was used “for political purposes.”
In the last week, one suspect was killed while trying to enter a Cincinnati field office. Then in Arizona on Saturday, armed protesters stood outside an office in Phoenix.
Officials with the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum – a facility dedicated to those lost and impacted by the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995 – tweeted Friday in support of the FBI.
“Hatred and vitriol in public discourse being directed toward these public servants is unwarranted,” museum officials tweeted. “This way of thought and speech leads directly to the same dehumanization that caused the April 19, 1995 attack.”