On Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) threatened to conduct a vote to declare FBI Director Christopher Wray in defiance of Congress.
The disclosure is to bring an end to a weeks-long stalemate between the FBI and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY).
He filed a subpoena with a May 30 time limit for a document believed to include accusations of a criminal “bribery” conspiracy involving President Joe Biden.
Unclassified Information
Comer states whistleblower revelations led him and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to believe the Justice Department and FBI have an unclassified FD-1023 form.
This form is detailing the alleged plan involving Biden and a foreigner going all the way back to his tenure as vice president.
"It has come to our attention that the DOJ and FBI possess an unclassified FD-1023 form that describes an alleged criminal scheme involving then-VP Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions."
h/t @ProfMJCleveland https://t.co/ZKrWjLgcmD pic.twitter.com/E420lHsJmK
— đď¸ (@codyave) May 3, 2023
Comer penned in a letter to Wray last week that this specific FD-1023 form may contain a variant of “five million” and “June 30, 2020.”
He added these terms pertain to the timestamp on the FD-1023 form and its mention of the amount the foreigner supposedly paid to obtain the intended policy outcome.
According to the FBI, FD-1023 forms document claims from classified human sources.
After McCarthy spoke with Wray over the phone a few weeks ago, legislators claim the FBI refused to acknowledge the existence of the file in question. The FBI has generally cautioned the public against disclosing unconfirmed information from informants.
I have a message for FBI Director Christopher Wray: If he misses today's deadline to turn over subpoenaed documents to Congress, I am prepared to move contempt charges against him. pic.twitter.com/D3hyW3VIpX
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) May 30, 2023
Liability
The FBI stated they remain committed to complying with oversight requests from Congress on this and other matters, as they have always done.
Also, they remain in contact with members of Congress regarding this request. According to the FBI, its mission is to safeguard the American people. They added the disclosure of confidential source details could compromise investigations and endanger lives.
McCarthy dealt with confidentiality matters in a Tuesday discussion with radio presenter Hugh Hewitt.
If the Republican-controlled House approves a criminal contempt charge to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Wray might face a fine and up to one year in prison if federal prosecutors pursue the case.
According to the American Bar Association, there are additional methods of redress, including civil enforcement.
