The FBI offered Friday (June 2) to show top lawmakers next week a bureau document that purports to relate to President Joe Biden and his family following weeks of demands by congressional Republicans and a contempt threat against Director Christopher Wray.
In a statement, the FBI said it would produce the document in a secure location inside the U.S. Capitol for the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. James Comer, and the panel鈥檚 top Democrat, Jamie Raskin of Maryland.
At issue is an internal FBI document known as an FD-1023, which agents use to record unverified tips and information they receive from confidential human sources. The FBI says such documents can contain uncorroborated and incomplete information, and that documenting the tip does not validate it.
鈥淏y offering to provide access to the requested document in combination with a briefing to offer context, the FBI has agreed in good faith to give the Committee all of the information it originally asked for and more,鈥� the FBI said. 鈥淭he commonsense protections the FBI has requested to maintain the confidentiality of that sensitive information are routinely employed both in response to congressional requests and in court in criminal proceedings to protect the physical safety of sources and the integrity of investigations.鈥�
Comer responded to the FBI concession by suggesting it would not be sufficient to prevent him from moving forward with contempt, saying 鈥渁nything short鈥� of producing the document to the committee would not be in compliance with the subpoena. A contempt of Congress charge would require a full committee vote before going to the House floor.
Comer subpoenaed Wray earlier this month seeking a specific FBI form from June 2020.
In a May 3 letter to Wray with Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Comer said that 鈥渋t has come to our attention鈥� that the bureau has such a document that 鈥渄escribes an alleged criminal scheme鈥� involving Biden and a foreign national 鈥渞elating to the exchange of money for policy decisions鈥� when Biden was vice president and includes 鈥渁 precise description鈥� about it.
The lawmakers used the word 鈥渁lleged鈥� three times in the opening paragraph of the letter and offered no evidence of the veracity of the accusations or any details about what they contend are 鈥渉ighly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures.鈥�
The White House has called the subpoena effort further evidence of how congressional Republicans long 鈥渉ave been lobbing unfounded, unproven, politically motivated attacks鈥� against the Biden family 鈥渨ithout offering evidence for their claims or evidence of decisions influenced by anything other than U.S. interests.鈥�
Eric Tucker, The Associated Press
Like us on and follow us on .
