Republicans launch CONTEMPT process against FBI director Wray after viewing Biden
House Republicans are officially starting contempt of Congress charges against FBI Director Chris Wray for failing to turn over Biden ‘bribery’ document they claim shows then-Vice President Joe Biden was involved in a $5 million ‘criminal’ scheme with a foreign national.
The escalation comes after the Republican and Democrat leaders of the House Oversight Committee were granted access by the FBI Monday to view the FD-1023 form in a secure facility within the Capitol. The document apparently details an ‘arrangement’ for an exchange of money for policy decisions.
The Republicans issued a subpoena for the FD-1023 form last month and FBI Director Chris Wray was given a hard deadline of May 30 to hand over the unclassified document, which he did not comply with.
After reviewing the document Monday, Comer told reporters the accusations contained in the form ‘suggests a pattern of bribery’ consistent with findings the committee has put out publicly.
It’s called ‘money laundering,’ he said, saying it fits within the pattern of over $1 million in Romanian-linked payments to the Biden family revealed last month.
The House Oversight Committee released a new memo specifically outlining the Biden family’s ties to Romanian ‘influence peddling’ and a web of LLCs created while Biden was vice president
In early May, Republicans released a report digging in on over $10 million received by Biden family members from foreign actors, including previously undisclosed $1 million in Romanian-linked payments, and a ‘web’ of 20 companies created while President Joe Biden was vice president and pushing anti-corruption efforts abroad.
He also said the FBI record was ‘not disproven’ and is currently being used in an ongoing investigation that is being conducted by the Department of Justice in Delaware into Hunter Biden’s finances.
The ‘confidential human source’ is a ‘trusted, highly credible informant’ who has been used by the FBI for over 10 years and has been paid over six figures, continued Comer.
The chairman added that contempt proceedings will begin this Thursday.
‘At the briefing, the FBI again refused to hand over the unclassified record to the custody of the House Oversight Committee, and we will now initiate contempt of Congress hearings this Thursday.’
Last week, Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, spoke with Wray by phone and the FBI director offered to let them and Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., view the documents at the FBI headquarters in an attempt to stave off the contempt threat.
The FBI confirmed to DailyMail.com last week that it would allow committee leadership to view the document.
‘During today’s call, Director 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,’ said the FBI in a statement.
‘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 FBI remains committed to cooperating with the Committee in good faith.’
Comer also informed Wray that he was also narrowing the breadth of the subpoena for the document by providing two additional terms that may be referenced in the record: ‘June 30, 2020’ and ‘five million.’
Raskin blasted the Republicans’ handling of the document in a reporter gaggle following Monday’s briefing, calling it ‘second-hand hearsay.’
He said former U.S. Attorney Scott Brady for the Western District of Pennsylvania and then-Attorney General Bill Barr did not find any reason to escalate the investigation into all ‘allegations related to Ukraine’ based on the FD-1023 form.
‘I am just surprised that my colleagues want to try to litigate this in public, much less hold the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in contempt for complying with the request when there was a whole process that was undertaken, and that process came to its natural end as I understand it,’ Raskin said.
He would not directly confirm that the foreign national alleged in the memo being sought by Republicans is from Ukraine.
The White House has also pushed back, calling the Republican-led investigation ‘unfounded’ and ‘politically motivated.’
Last week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy backed up Comer’s contempt threat – saying he is ‘prepared’ to move forward with the charge.
‘We have jurisdiction over the FBI, which they seem to act like we do not,’ said McCarthy.
The FBI’s latest stonewalling also comes after a second IRS whistleblower came forward, claiming he was sidelined from the Hunter Biden probe when he spoke up about the president’s son getting preferential treatment.
The case agent, who has not been identified, says he was fired recently without any explanation after working on the Hunter Biden investigation since 2018, according to documents sent to congressional leaders obtained by DailyMail.com.
FBI Director Chris Wray has until May 30 to hand over the document to congressional Republicans
‘The information provided by a whistleblower raises concerns that then-Vice President Biden allegedly engaged in a bribery scheme with a foreign national,’ Comer said
This is the second whistleblower to come forward in recent days on the matter.
According to documents, he informed Congress last week about backlash he suffered for acting as a whistleblower and alleged unfair retaliatory treatment.
He sent an email in recent weeks to senior IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel and several other officials alleging that he was ousted for raising concerns that the Department of Justice was ‘acting inappropriately’ in its handling of the investigation into the president’s son.
His complaint comes days after the Department of Justice removed the entire team probing Hunter Biden’s tax returns, according to attorneys representing an initial supervisory whistleblower – Gary Shapley.
Shapley testified before the GOP-led Ways and Means Committee for six hours and answered all questions from both Republicans and Democrats, DailyMail.com learned.