FBI Director Christopher Wray insisted on Wednesday that the bureau is “absolutely not” protecting the Biden family. His proclamation came amid allegations prosecutorial decisions were made to shield President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, and that politics influenced the investigation into the younger Biden.
Wray appeared before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday to deny any alleged politicization within the bureau and testify on the good work of the FBI.
Despite Wray’s denials, GOP Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio laid out in his opening statement the bureau’s efforts to target conservatives, suppress the Hunter Biden laptop story, and more.
Jordan said he is committed to stopping the “weaponization of the government against the American people” and blasted the “double standard that exists now in our justice system.”
The sentiment of a “double standard” of justice was prevalent throughout the hearing, as Republican members pointed to the FBI’s handling of investigations related to the Bidens compared to the probe into former President Trump.
GOP Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida pointed to allegations leveled by whistleblower Gary Shapley against the Justice Department, who said steps were taken throughout the years-long probe into Hunter Biden to limit any questioning related to President Biden and protect him.
Gaetz referred to a specific WhatsApp message to an energy executive from China in which Hunter Biden seems to indicate he is “sitting here with” his father, Joe Biden, and threatened the executive that he and his father would “forever hold a grudge” if a deal wasn’t completed, and warned that the executive would “regret not following” his “direction.”
“You seem deeply uncurious about it, don’t you?” said Gaetz. “Almost suspiciously uncurious. Are you protecting the Bidens?”
“Absolutely not,” replied Wray. “The FBI has no interest.”
Whistleblowers allege federal prosecutors have blocked lines of questioning involving President Biden
IRS whistleblowers have alleged that federal prosecutors blocked lines of questioning involving Joe Biden, despite evidence pointing to the president’s involvement or knowledge in his son’s business dealings.
Whistleblowers said the FBI possessed the laptop in December 2019 and knew before the presidential election of 2020 that it contained “credible” evidence as part of the probe into Hunter Biden. Despite that, the FBI worked with social media companies to suppress stories about the younger Biden’s laptop.
Legislators have also been demanding answers from the FBI on what was done with the information contained in the critical FD-1023 form, alleging a criminal bribery scheme between a foreign national and then-Vice President Biden.
The House Oversight Committee subpoenaed the FBI to turn over the document for review by Congress; however, the FBI didn’t comply. Instead, the organization made accommodations to bring a redacted version of the document to a secure Capitol Hill setting for lawmakers on the committee to review.
GOP Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer threatened to hold Wray in contempt of Congress for not complying with the subpoena.
The document details allegations made by an executive at Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas firm, to a “highly-credible” FBI confidential human source. The executive alleged that he paid $5 million to Hunter Biden and $5 million to Joe Biden in exchange for influence over policy decisions.
Federal agents and prosecutors on the team investigating Hunter Biden were briefed on the FBI form. Still, the Senate and House lawmakers question whether the FBI is even investigating the claims.
Before Wray’s testimony, an FBI official said lawmakers on the committee are taking issue with “prosecutorial decisions” but stressed that the decisions are “not made by the FBI, but rather, the Department of Justice.” The official stressed that the FBI is focused on gathering facts, not involved in charging decisions.
Last month, the Justice Department announced that the president’s son had entered a plea agreement that will likely keep him out of jail. Hunter Biden is set to plead guilty to one charge of possessing a firearm by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance and two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay federal income tax.
Whistleblowers and those familiar with the investigation say more charges were warranted. Hunter Biden is scheduled to make his first court appearance on July 26.
In the meantime, Jordan has called on key DOJ and FBI officials involved in the Hunter Biden investigation to appear before the committee for transcribed interviews related to the probe. The interviews have yet to be scheduled.
