The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability formally announced on Wednesday its intention to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress.
The Committee accuses Wray of failing to comply with a lawfully issued subpoena.
A resolution and accompanying report recommending this course of action has been released, and the Committee will consider it at a full business meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 8 at 9:00 am ET.
The Committee, led by Chairman Comer, is insisting that the FBI turn over the unclassified FD-1023 record to its custody.
“We have been clear that the FBI must produce the unclassified FD-1023 record to the custody of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability,” the Chairman said.
Despite this clear directive, the FBI has “refused to comply with our lawfully issued subpoena and even refused to admit the record’s existence up until a week ago,” Comer added.
The Chairman went on to criticize what he perceives as an FBI cover-up attempt: “Once Director Wray confirmed the record’s existence, the FBI started their coverup by leaking a false narrative to the media,” he stated.
Comer further argued that contrary to assertions from the White House, Democrats, and the FBI, “The case is not closed as they would have the American people believe.”
The FD-1023 record in question, according to the Chairman, was “created based on information from a credible informant who has worked with the FBI for over a decade and paid six figures.”
This informant purportedly had “first-hand conversations with the foreign national who claimed to have bribed then-Vice President Biden.”
Comer indicated that Attorney General Barr had confirmed that the record was forwarded to the U.S. Attorney in Delaware for investigation purposes.
His statement reflected a sentiment of lost faith in the FBI.
“Americans have lost trust in the FBI’s ability to enforce the law impartially and demand answers, transparency, and accountability,” he asserted.
He underscored the duty of the Oversight Committee to “follow the facts for the American people and ensure the federal government is held accountable.”
The upcoming Full Committee Business Meeting, where the resolution will be considered, will take place in the 2154 Rayburn House Office Building.
The meeting will be open to the public and press and will also be livestreamed online at the Committee’s official website.
The Committee has encouraged media representatives to RSVP by 5:00 pm ET on Wednesday, June 7.
