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A federal watchdog found that the government relied on inaccurate or insufficient information when selecting Greenbelt, Maryland, for the FBI’s new headquarters, intensifying a long-running dispute over the high-profile project.
The General Services Administration’s inspector general concluded that some reasons used to support the Greenbelt decision were unjustified. The report did not, however, recommend restarting the selection process.
U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, accused the GSA of having “cooked the books.”
“GSA provided inaccurate information to guide the site selection process and we may never know the full extent of missteps,” Connolly said.
Maryland officials defended the outcome. Gov. Wes Moore and members of the state’s congressional delegation said in a joint statement that nothing in the report challenged Greenbelt’s selection as the future home of the FBI.
It remained unclear Tuesday whether the findings would prompt another attempt to overturn the decision.
Panel’s unanimous choice was overruled
A three-person panel representing the GSA and FBI evaluated agency-compiled information using five criteria. The three possible locations were Springfield, Virginia; Greenbelt, Maryland; and Landover, Maryland.
The GSA announced in November 2023 that Greenbelt would replace the FBI’s current headquarters in downtown Washington.
Although the selection panel unanimously favored Springfield, senior GSA official Nina Albert overruled its recommendation and chose Greenbelt.
According to the inspector general, the GSA overstated the cost of relocating to Springfield. The agency also failed to supply location-specific equity information, including racial and socioeconomic data.
Instead, evaluators received county-level figures that indicated Prince George’s County had a greater need for support than Fairfax County.
The investigation rejected concerns that Albert had a conflict of interest because of her previous position as vice president of real estate and parking for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which owns the Greenbelt property.
Headquarters records were lost or reported late
The report also found problems with the preservation of communications about the headquarters move.
Albert’s government phone was wiped under the GSA’s automatic process for employees leaving the agency. Other officials discussed the relocation on personal phones, creating federal records, but did not report those messages until the agency requested them. By then, the statutory deadline had passed by months.
Robin Carnahan, who was then the GSA administrator, responded in a letter dated six days before the Biden administration ended. She said the findings deserved careful consideration but did not undermine the process, the panel’s recommendation or Albert’s final decision.
Carnahan said the participants had tried to identify the site that would deliver the best value for the FBI and the public.
The FBI said it had no comment. The GSA, Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, and Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity did not respond to questions about potential next steps.
Greenbelt Mayor Emmett V. Jordan maintained that his city remains the least expensive option. He said the location satisfies the FBI’s security requirements while providing the necessary transportation access.
After repeated rounds of planning and review, Jordan said he hoped the GSA could move forward with finding a headquarters site, preferably in Greenbelt. He also pointed to federal employees’ concerns about their jobs under the new administration.
Moore’s joint statement with Democratic Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Chris Van Hollen and Democratic Reps. Steny Hoyer and Glenn Ivey argued that Greenbelt still offers taxpayers the lowest cost, the strongest public-transit access and the most dependable construction schedule.