The House Oversight Chairman, James Comer (R-KY), stated that the FBI has agreed to give every member of his committee access to a document that includes bribery allegations against President Joe Biden. As a result, the panel has removed a scheduled meeting in which they would vote on holding FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a subpoena.
“After weeks of refusing to even admit the FD-1023 record exists, the FBI has caved and is now allowing all members of the Oversight and Accountability Committee to review this unclassified record that memorializes a confidential human source’s conversations with a foreign national who claimed to have bribed then-Vice President Joe Biden,” Comer said in a statement.
“Americans have lost trust in the FBI’s ability to enforce the law impartially and demand answers, transparency, and accountability. Allowing all Oversight Committee members to review this record is an important step toward conducting oversight of the FBI and holding it accountable to the American people,” Comer added.
Comer has been in a weeks-long dispute with the FBI over custody of an FBI FD-1023 form. This form records information obtained from confidential human sources. Comer and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) were given permission to view a redacted copy of the document on Monday in a secure room in the U.S. Capitol. Despite this, the FBI believes that an “escalation to a contempt vote under these circumstances is unwarranted.”
The FBI issued a statement stating that they have taken precautions to protect important concerns such as the physical safety of sources and the integrity of investigations, while also accommodating the Oversight Committee’s request.
The Oversight Committee members will not only be able to review the document, but also receive a briefing. The FBI has agreed to provide Comer and Raskin, with two additional documents mentioned in the FD-1023 form for review. It is uncertain if this will prevent a contempt vote, as Comer has insisted on possessing the unclassified document instead of just reviewing it.
“In the spirit of good faith, the FBI has offered Chairman Comer yet further accommodations in response to his subpoena, including to allow all Oversight Committee Members to review in camera the second-hand allegations by Ukrainian individuals reported in the tip sheet,” Raskin said in a statement on Wednesday evening. “Chairman Comer’s acceptance of these further accommodations comes after he has spent weeks attacking the FBI despite its extraordinary efforts to provide Committee Republicans the information they claim to seek.”
Comer’s investigative efforts have been openly dismissed by the Biden team. “This silly charade by Chairman Comer is yet another reminder that his so-called ‘investigations’ are political stunts not meant to get information but to spread thin innuendo and falsehoods to attack the President,” White House spokesperson Ian Sams said in a recent statement.
Comer states that the document concerns Ukraine and includes accusations that follow a similar pattern observed in other countries, such as Romania. The allegations involve transactions with large sums of money that were directed through banks and shell companies linked to members of Biden’s family.
A stated that the committee cannot assess the national security risk posed by the allegations without the FD-1023 record requested by Comer. The panel’s ability to gather additional evidence that could help strengthen disclosure requirements for future legislation is also limited without this record. This was mentioned in the report released alongside a contempt resolution.
The’s report, consisting of 17 pages, provided an explanation of the month-long standoff between the committee and the subpoena. It also included the committee’s reasoning for proceeding with contempt. The report revealed that Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, is linked to the accusations.
According to the report, the allegations described in the FD-1023 form are difficult to summarize as they involve multiple meetings and conversations spanning several years. The allegations also include complex details about business ventures, large payment amounts, and the reasons behind the foreign national’s financial involvement with Joe Biden and Hunter Biden. Finally, the report mentions that the alleged scheme involves significant financial complexity.
U.S. Attorney David Weiss in Delaware is investigating the tax affairs of Hunter, based on an inquiry into the allegations made by former Attorney General William Barr. Congress has been informed by FBI officials that the FD-1023 form is being used in an ongoing investigation.
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