FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed a file containing allegations of a “criminal bribery scheme” involving President Joe Biden really does exist, a top Republican lawmaker announced on Wednesday.
In a statement released after having a discussion with Wray, House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said the FBI leader offered to allow lawmakers to see the documents at FBI headquarters, but won’t commit to giving them to Congress — a clear sign that their standoff over a subpoena is far from over.
“We have been clear that anything short of producing these documents to the House Oversight Committee is not in compliance with the subpoena,” Comer said. “If the FBI fails to hand over the FD-1023 form as required by the subpoena, the House Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings.”
🚨On my call with FBI Director Wray, the FBI finally confirmed the existence of the FD-1023 form alleging then-VP Joe Biden engaged in a criminal bribery scheme.
Anything short of producing these documents to @GOPoversight is not in compliance with my subpoena.
Statement👇 pic.twitter.com/doK7PNheZE
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) May 31, 2023
In a statement, the FBI said that during the call on Wednesday, Wray “offered to provide the Committee’s Chairman and Ranking Member an opportunity to review information responsive to the subpoena in a secure manner to accommodate the committee, while protecting the confidentiality and safety of sources and important investigative sensitivities.”
“The FBI has continually demonstrated its commitment to working with the Committee to accommodate its request, from scheduling briefings and calls to now allowing the Chair to review information in person,” the bureau added. “The FBI remains committed to cooperating with the Committee in good faith.”
A congressional source told The Daily Wire that Comer intends to view the file “in camera” at the FBI, which means there will be restrictions, although the chairman insisted that does not mean the subpoena will be fulfilled.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, said in a statement that he spoke with Wray in a separate call.
“Director Wray informed me that the FBI has agreed to accommodate the Committee’s request by making the document sought by Chairman Comer available for in person review,” Raskin said. “The FBI will also provide context on the Trump Justice Department’s steps to follow up on the unsubstantiated, second-hand claims contained in this tip.”
Before now, Comer said the FBI would not acknowledge the existence of the file he sought. However, the FBI did issue warnings of the dangers of releasing unvetted information from confidential human sources that gets recorded by agents in FD-1023 forms.
“The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people. Releasing confidential source information could potentially jeopardize investigations and put lives at risk,” the bureau told The Daily Wire.
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Comer and his Senate colleague Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have said that whistleblower disclosures led them to believe the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI have an unclassified FD-1023 form describing the alleged scheme involving Biden, dating back to his time as vice president, and a foreign national. Comer initially sent the subpoena on May 3 with a May 10 deadline, but later extended it to Tuesday.
This particular FD-1023 form 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.
Further details about what the alleged scheme may entail have not been released, but the dollar amount and date indicate that it could be related to Ukraine or China.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) addressed confidentiality issues in an interview on Tuesday with radio host Hugh Hewitt. “If there’s a concern about methods or areas of how we get it, redact names so we don’t see that. But you’ve got to show the document,” he said. McCarthy also made it clear that he has Comer’s back in demanding the document and holding Wray in contempt, stressing that the FBI director is “not above the law.”
Democrats have accused their GOP counterparts of ignoring alleged misconduct by former President Donald Trump while trying to dig up “dirt” on the Biden family as Republican lawmakers raise concerns about influence peddling schemes linked to countries around the world.
The White House, too, has shot back at Republicans. “This silly charade by Chairman Comer is yet another reminder that his so-called ‘investigations’ are political stunts not meant to get information but to spread thin innuendo and falsehoods to attack the President,” White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement Wednesday.
If the House, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans, were to approve a criminal contempt referral to the DOJ, Wray could face a fine and up to a year’s imprisonment if federal prosecutors take up the case. There are also other forms of recourse, including civil enforcement, according to the American Bar Association.
“Director Wray confirmed what my whistleblowers have told me pursuant to legally protected disclosures: the FBI-generated document is real, but the bureau has yet to provide it to Congress in defiance of a legitimate congressional subpoena. This failure comes with consequences,” Grassley said in a statement Wednesday.