On Monday, Chairman James Comer announced that the House Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings against FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday, NBC News reported.
Comer spoke with reporters on Monday after he and ranking member Jamie Raskin were briefed on the FBI document purportedly describing a bribery scheme between then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national.
After leaving the secure briefing, Comer said the FBI officials again refused to turn over the unclassified FD-1023 form he and Senator Chuck Grassley had subpoenaed in May, so the committee will “initiate” hearings on Thursday on holding Wray in contempt of Congress.
Comer said the FBI officials confirmed in the briefing that the allegations in the unclassified FD-1023 are currently part of an “ongoing investigation” and have “not been disproven.”
Ranking member Raskin attempted to dismiss Comer’s claims, telling reporters that he was unaware of an ongoing FBI investigation into the claims, but conceded that he isn’t privy to the same information that Comer can access.
Raskin told reporters that the FBI officials provided context during the briefing, telling them that former Attorney General Bill Barr had named former US attorney Scott Brady to look into the allegations in the document that originated from Rudy Giuliani. Raskin said that Brady’s investigation was closed.
The FBI said in a statement that the bureau has been cooperating with Chairman Comer’s request and has continued to demonstrate its commitment to accommodating the Oversight Committee’s request by “producing the document in a reading room at the U.S. Capitol.”
The FBI maintained that this process is a “commonsense safeguard” it often uses in response to requests from Congress and in court proceedings as a way to “protect important concerns” like the “physical safety of sources and the integrity of investigations.” The bureau maintained that Comer to holding proceedings against Director Wray at this time is “unwarranted.”
White House spokesman for oversight and investigation Ian Sams blasted Chairman Comer in a statement on Monday, accusing him of staging “another fact-free stunt” to “spread thin innuendo” against President Biden while gaining “media attention” for himself.
