A House Republican committee is preparing to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with a subpoena related to an ongoing corruption probe into then-Vice President Joe Biden.
The FBI has declined to comply with the subpoena from the House Oversight Committee, refusing to provide the unclassified documents that allegedly link Biden to an international bribery scandal.
Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) released a statement expressing his concerns and disappointment regarding the FBI’s decision to refuse compliance with the congressional subpoena for unclassified records related to an alleged criminal scheme involving Biden and a foreign national.
“Today, the FBI informed the Committee that it will not provide the unclassified documents subpoenaed by the Committee. The FBI’s decision to stiff-arm Congress and hide this information from the American people is obstructionist and unacceptable,” Comer said.
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,” he added.
“Americans deserve the truth, and the Oversight Committee will continue to demand transparency from this nation’s chief law enforcement agency.”
BREAKING: The FBI has told House Oversight that it will NOT comply with a subpoena request for the unclassified documents it alleges directly link then-VP Biden to an international bribery scheme. The committee will now move to hold Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress. pic.twitter.com/Kfg9YZxUN7
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 30, 2023
Comer, along with Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), noted in a letter dated May 3 addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Wray that the form encompasses significant and corroborative details they say pertain to the exchange of funds in return for influencing policy decisions.
Claiming that the Biden DOJ and FBI have a history of “allowing political bias to infect their decision-making process,” two Republicans indicated they sought to “conduct an independent and objective review of this matter, free from those agencies’ influence,” apparently doubtful that anything would otherwise be done about the allegations.
“After a contempt citation is issued, the matter is referred to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, whose duty it is to bring the issue before the grand jury,” Trending Politics reported.
“However, this is a matter of prosecutorial discretion. As an alternative, Congress can try to detain the person in contempt itself, or it can file a civil lawsuit asking a court to enforce the subpoena. The latter process has been the method most commonly used in recent years,” the report added.
