House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced on Monday that his panel will start proceedings to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress, NBC News reported.
The FBI briefed Comer and Oversight Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) on Capitol Hill for more than an hour Monday and offered them the chance to review a document that purportedly describes an allegation that Joe Biden accepted a bribe as vice president.
Speaking to reporters after the briefing, Comer said the "FBI again refused to hand over the unclassified record to the custody" of the committee "and we will now initiate contempt of Congress hearings this Thursday."
"FBI officials confirmed that the unclassified FBI-generated record has not been disproven and is currently being used in an ongoing investigation," he said.
Raskin told reporters he wasn’t aware of an ongoing investigation, but he said he’s also “not privy” to some information accessible to Comer. He said he knows there have been published reports about an ongoing investigation in Delaware by the US attorney related to the president's son Hunter Biden.
In a statement, the FBI said it had been cooperative with Comer's request.
“The FBI has continually demonstrated its commitment to accommodate the committee’s request, including by producing the document in a reading room at the US Capitol. This commonsense safeguard is often employed in response to congressional requests and in court proceedings to protect important concerns, such as the physical safety of sources and the integrity of investigations," said the statement quoted by NBC News.
"The escalation to a contempt vote under these circumstances is unwarranted,” it added.
The White House has criticized the investigations, arguing the probes are politically motivated and designed to hurt Biden’s re-election chances.
Comer subpoenaed the FBI last month to obtain the FBI document, called an FD-1023, which he and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) claimed describes an alleged criminal scheme involving Biden when he was vice president "relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions."
Comer alleges the scheme involved a $5 million payment from a foreign national in exchange for a policy outcome.
Comer previously threatened to hold Wray in contempt over the document after the FBI declined to provide it.
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