The House Oversight and Government Accountability Committee will take steps to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress for refusing to produce a document that could detail wrongdoing by President Joe Biden, committee chairman James Comer said Tuesday.
The Oversight Committee initially issued a request for an FD-1023 on May 3. The document, which details an interview with a source, reportedly includes information about a $5 million bribery scheme that Biden was allegedly involved in while vice president. The FBI has declined to produce the document, saying that doing so could imperil ongoing investigations. (RELATED: Speaker McCarthy Threatens To Hold FBI Director In Contempt Over Joe Biden Document)
“The FBI’s decision to stiff-arm Congress and hide this information from the American people is obstructionist and unacceptable. While I have a call scheduled with FBI Director Wray tomorrow to discuss his response further, the Committee has been clear in its intent to protect Congressional oversight authorities and will now be taking steps to hold the FBI Director in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a lawful subpoena,” Comer said in a statement.
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Today, the FBI informed @GOPoversight that it will not provide the unclassified documents subpoenaed by the Committee.
The Committee will now be taking steps to hold FBI Director Wray in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a lawful subpoena.
Statement.👇 pic.twitter.com/VY3WudlFkG
— Rep. James Comer (@RepJamesComer) May 30, 2023
In the May 24 letter threatening a subpoena, Comer alleged that the FBI took the interview on June 30, 2020. He also asserted that a foreign national paid $5 million in order to “receive [a] desired policy outcome.” A whistleblower reportedly told Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Charles Grassley’s office about the document. Republicans do not have subpoena power in the upper chamber since they are in the minority.
The House Oversight Committee is conducting a series of investigations into the Biden family for alleged influence-peddling. Comer alleged in April that at least nine Biden family members were involved in international business dealings while Joe Biden was vice president. In a May press conference, the chairman added that the Biden family received more than $10 million through limited liability committees formed during Joe Biden’s vice presidency.