Rep. Louie Gohmert complained Wednesday that FBI representatives were not forthcoming during a briefing with details about Jared Loughner, who is accused of the deadly shooting spree Saturday in Arizona.

The Texas Republican, a former attorney and district court judge, suggested politics was to blame.

“It may be if the things he was reading, that he’s a liberal, hates the flag, supports Marx, if those type of things turn out to be true, then it may be embarrassing to the current administration’s constituents, and heaven help us we wouldn’t want to embarrass the president’s constituents,” Gohmert said.

House Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood, Capitol Police Chief Phillip Morse and an FBI representative briefed House Republicans on Wednesday morning about the shooting in Tucson. Gohmert said he asked the FBI official to provide a “personality profile” of Loughner, 22, who is in custody. Gohmert said his request was denied. 

“You could tell us a personality profile: what this guy believes in, what he doesn’t,” he said. “I’ve been part of a prosecution, I’ve been a prosecutor, I’ve been a judge. I know what they can do, and they’ve stonewalled on being specific.”
 
Gohmert directed his criticism toward the FBI official and not toward House Democrats. The conservative Republican said comity in the wake of the shooting has engendered “a closeness between party members across the aisle that I’ve not felt in my six years since being here.”

House Democrats held a separate briefing Wednesday.