FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday offered to let House Oversight Chair James Comer view an internal law enforcement document at FBI headquarters that Republicans believe will shed light on an allegation that then-Vice President Joe Biden was involved in a criminal scheme with a foreign national, the chairman said in a statement.
Comer had subpoenaed the document and threatened Wray with contempt of Congress proceedings if Wray did not provide it. According to his statement, Comer told Wray during a telephone call Wednesday afternoon that the accommodation may not be sufficient to stop contempt proceedings.
‘While Director Wray – after a month of refusing to even acknowledge that the form existed – has offered to allow us to see the documents in person at FBI headquarters, 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,” he added.
Both Comer and the top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin, are expected to be granted access to the document. Raskin is set to speak with Wray in a separate call Wednesday.
“Since Chairman Comer refused to allow Ranking Member Raskin to participate in his call with Director Wray this afternoon, the Ranking Member secured a separate call this afternoon so that Director Wray can brief him on the information the FBI is providing in response to the Committee’s subpoena,” a spokesperson for House Oversight Democrats said.
The FBI declined to comment.
The document is an FD-1023 form, which the FBI uses to memorialize information gathered from confidential sources. It typically includes allegations from a source that have not been verified by the FBI. According to Comer, the one in question, dated June 30, 2020, says the foreign national allegedly paid $5 million to receive a desired policy outcome, based on unclassified and legally protected whistleblower disclosures.
In a recent letter to Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, Comer and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley wrote, “It has been alleged that the document includes a precise description of how the alleged criminal scheme was employed as well as its purpose.”
The White House has previously dismissed the unverified claim as another one of Republicans’ “unfounded politically-motivated attacks.”
The FBI, in a letter sent prior to Comer’s contempt threat, said it will make the information available to the oversight committee “in a format and setting that maintains confidentiality and protects important security interests and the integrity of FBI investigations.” The FBI also said there are limitations on its ability to share unsubstantiated raw intelligence outside the bureau.
Since taking control of the House earlier this year, Republicans have aggressively pursued Biden and his family, particularly his son Hunter Biden, over allegations that they improperly used the now-president’s political connections to enrich themselves. Earlier this month, Comer alleged that the Biden family received millions of dollars in payments from foreign entities in China and Romania, including when Biden was vice president. The committee does not suggest any illegality about the payments from foreign sources and representatives for the White House and Hunter Biden have dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Evan Perez contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnn.com