Politics

Rep. James Comer Doubles Down On Threat To Hold FBI Director In Contempt After Phone Call

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Michael Ginsberg Congressional Correspondent
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House Oversight and Government Accountability Committee chairman James Comer doubled down on his threat to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress after a Wednesday phone call with the bureau chief.

“Today, FBI Director Wray confirmed the existence of the FD-1023 form alleging then-Vice President Biden engaged in a criminal bribery scheme with a foreign national. However, Director Wray did not commit to producing the documents subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee,” Comer said in a statement. (RELATED: ‘The Right Thing To Do’: Comey Defends Wray Stiff-Arming Congress Over Subpoenaed Doc)

With the support of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, Comer initially threatened to hold Wray in contempt of Congress on Tuesday. The House Oversight Committee set a deadline of May 30 for the FBI to produce the form, which contains an interview with a witness alleging that then-Vice President Joe Biden accepted a $5 million bribe. The FBI has repeatedly declined to produce the document, saying that doing so would jeopardize investigations and sources.


“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. 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,” Comer continued.

Wray is not the first Biden administration official to withhold documents from a House committee under threat of contempt charges. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has repeatedly refused to hand over a dissent cable from embassy officials in Afghanistan detailing the deteriorating security environment in the country. He ignored a subpoena from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, eventually allowing chairman Michael McCaul of Texas and ranking member Gregory Meeks of New York to view the document in a classified setting.

The Foreign Affairs Committee canceled a meeting to mark up a contempt resolution, although McCaul has said he is keeping the option on the table.

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.