House Republicans have scrapped a vote that would have held FBI Director Christopher Wray in disgrace, as they intensify their investigation of President Joe Biden.
The Oversight Committee was scheduled to meet on Thursday, after weeks of back and forth with the FBI. The Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., announced on Wednesday night that the vote would be called off after the FBI agreed to allow all committee members to review the 2020 document at issue in the standoff.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., will be able to review two additional documents in addition to the document describing the FBI’s interview with a confidential source known as FD-1023. Comer, the top Democrat of the panel and Raskin will be able to view two more documents.
Comer announced his decision by saying that allowing all Oversight Committee Members to review the record was an important step in overseeing the FBI and making it accountable to Americans.
Comer characterized the deal quickly as a victory, saying that FBI “caved.” However, the Kentucky Republican had pledged previously to hold the vote on contempt in his committee until the FBI actually handed over a copy to the panel. He announced the vote for Thursday on Monday, after he and Raskin had seen the document and received a briefing.
People familiar with the offer told POLITICO on Wednesday that the FBI now offers to let the entire committee review the document to try to find a way to stop the committee vote.
The agreement is in line with the bar set by Speaker Kevin McCarthy who stated as recently as last Wednesday that if Wray allowed the entire panel to see the document, there wouldn’t be a requirement to vote on contempt of the FBI director.
Some conservatives expressed confidence that the Republicans in the House would support them to declare Wray a contemptible person. It would be an historic vote, but it would also put their more moderate and pragmatic members in a difficult position.
In the middle of the controversy is a document Republicans claim ties Vice President Joe Biden with a “bribery plan.” However, the forms themselves do not constitute evidence of wrongdoing, and the FBI warned that the information contained in them was unverified.
The document is linked to an investigation conducted by Scott Brady in the Trump era. Brady was assigned to investigate claims made by Rudy Giuliani at the time, Trump’s personal lawyer. The FBI briefed the two legislators that the document was created after the bureau, in search of information related to the Brady investigation, re-interviewed a informant. Comer said that the FBI regarded the informant as credible and paid him six figures since the Obama years.
The FBI informed Raskin and Comper this week that the Brady investigation was concluded in August 2020. Republicans, however, have pointed out that the document had reportedly been handed over to DOJ Delaware prosecutors, who were conducting an investigation for years into Hunter Biden. The president’s child.
Comer and Raskin both confirmed that the allegation was related to Ukraine, as were so many of the allegations Trump’s former lawyer circulated during the 2020 presidential election.
Raskin, after Comer’s decision, made a statement in which he praised the FBI’s “good faith” operation and accused Republicans of “ignorance of the facts that undermined their false narratives.”
Raskin stated that “Holding someone in Contempt of Congress” is one of the most serious actions the Committee can take. It should not be used to undermine the FBI. “Despite the fact that Republicans’ investigation of President Biden found no evidence of wrongdoing they continue to try to discredit and demolish the FBI in order to prop up Donald Trump’s poll numbers.”
