FBI Director Christopher Wray received a vote of confidence from one of his predecessors, James Comey, as Wray faces the possibility of a contempt of Congress vote.
During an interview Wednesday, CNN‘s Poppy Harlow asked Comey whether Wray should give lawmakers a document believed to contain allegations of a criminal “bribery” scheme involving President Joe Biden that is now the center of a subpoena fight.
Comey declined to comment on the particular document, saying that he does not “know enough” about it, and when pressed, he shifted to speaking highly of Wray.
Former FBI Director James Comey: “Director Wray is a person of principle. So, I am sure he is trying to ascertain what’s the right thing to do consistent with DOJ policy and tradition.”
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) May 31, 2023
“Director Wray is a person of principle,” Comey said. “And so, I am sure he is trying to ascertain what’s the right thing to do, consistent with Department of Justice policy and tradition.”
House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced Tuesday he would move forward with holding Wray in contempt of Congress because the bureau refused to provide unclassified documents subpoenaed by his panel. Comer has the backing of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who stressed in a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt that Wray is “not above the law.”
The FD-1023 form sought by lawmakers may reference some variant of “five million” and “June 30, 2020,” Comer wrote in a letter to Wray last week. “These terms relate to the date on the FD-1023 form and its reference to the amount of money the foreign national allegedly paid to receive the desired policy outcome,” he added.
Wray is expected to speak over the phone with Comer on Wednesday, during which the FBI director plans to offer “additional information” as an “extraordinary accommodation,” an agency official told Comer in a letter on Tuesday. The FBI has not publicly acknowledged the existence of the document sought by lawmakers but has warned of the dangers of releasing unvetted information from confidential human sources that gets recorded by agents in FD-1023 forms.
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Comey is no stranger to controversy, as he was fired as FBI director by President Donald Trump in 2017. A new report from special counsel John Durham heavily criticizes the bureau under Comey’s watch in how it conducted the investigation into alleged links between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.
Still, even as some lawmakers talk about defunding or disbanding the FBI amid concerns about the agency becoming politically weaponized, Comey dismissed the current quarrel as a temporary issue.
“These are the kind of kerfuffles that blow up every so often in D.C.,” Comey said. “Now it has ensnared the FBI. It will pass.”