Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government intended for Thursday’s subcommittee hearing to help prove his point that the FBI has been wrongly targeting conservative agents. Jordan would bring forward whistleblowers, he promised, who would testify that the FBI stripped them of their security clearances for purely political reasons. However, Jordan’s efforts backfired even before they began. The FBI delivered Jordan a letter Wednesday night that lists what the bureau says are the real reasons why his witnesses were found unworthy of their security clearances.

The letter from Christopher Dunham, acting assistant director of the bureau, is a convincing rebuttal of Jordan’s story that the FBI retaliated against well-meaning public servants for expressing views contrary to their agency. Dunham explains that the agents in question had their security clearances revoked, pending appeal, for a number of reasons, including questions about their allegiance, reported criminal conduct, personal misconduct and how sensitive information was handled.