WASHINGTON ― Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) has represented a Democratic-leaning district north of Philadelphia since 2017, repeatedly winning reelection with a combination of a nice guy persona and a bipartisan voting record.

As he takes on yet another Democratic challenger in the roughest political environment for Republicans in years, Fitzpatrick is heavily pushing a nasty and unproven accusation about his opponent.

In TV ads, mailers and billboards, Fitzpatrick has said his opponent Bob Harvie, a member of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners, is “under FBI investigation” for corruption.

There’s not much evidence for the accusation. Harvie did speak to a grand jury in 2022 as part of an investigation into local governments in suburban Philadelphia, though no indictments resulted and the exact targets of the investigation have never been reported. How does Fitzpatrick know the case is still ongoing?

“I am a former FBI agent, but I know how grand juries work, and I’m well aware of his status in this case,” Fitzpatrick, who worked as a federal prosecutor and FBI agent before running for office in 2017, told HuffPost. “I’m aware of what’s contained in the files that he refuses to release.”

Harvie has furiously denied the accusation and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Fitzpatrick’s campaign, to no avail.

“He’s desperate to hold on to the seat,” Harvie told HuffPost. “He sees the same polling that I see ― that he’s in trouble, that his party’s in trouble, that Donald Trump is an albatross around the neck of Republicans, and that the policies they put in place are hurting people up and down this county, this district, and that’s why he’s throwing these lies out about me because he doesn’t have anything else to talk about.”

The stakes are high: Fitzpatrick is one of only three Republicans currently representing a district that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, and Democrats view the seat as an important pickup opportunity in their quest to retake the House this fall.

Fitzpatrick has broken with his party on all manner of topics, from the war in Iran to gun control to taxes and the social safety net. He voted against final passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill last year, the legislation that slashed food benefits and Medicaid to pay for tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy. But the Fitzpatrick-Harvie showdown so far seems to be mostly about Fitzpatrick’s claim that Harvie is being looked at by the FBI.

There is no official public information to corroborate or refute the claim that Harvie is under an FBI investigation. The FBI declined to comment.

Harvie has said he testified to the grand jury only as a witness. Fitzpatrick acknowledges Harvie wasn’t the target of the investigation, but insists he’s an investigative subject rather than a mere witness, meaning his conduct is at issue.

Harvie’s attorney strenuously disagrees: “Harvie is not now and has never been the subject of any criminal investigation,” they wrote in the cease-and-desist letter to Fitzpatrick’s campaign.

“You know what would solve this whole mystery? It’s not a mystery for me, but for you all ― have him release his file,” Fitzpatrick said. He’s also said that if Harvie’s so sure he’s lying, all he has to do is file the lawsuit he’s threatening in his cease-and-desist letter, though the legal process could take weeks, if not months, and not resolve before the election.

Harvie said there’s no file for him to release, that he doesn’t have any paperwork related to the case. He made some not-so-nice comments of his own about Fitzpatrick.

“He has a $5 million house in California. He’s got a $2 million house in D.C. He’s got another house here in Bucks County that I’m not even sure he lives in,” Harvie said. “He’s obviously now married to a Fox News reporter who’s considerably younger than he is, and so I just think he’s got a lifestyle he likes now, and he’s desperate, you know, and really he’s forgotten about the people of this district.”

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