In a statement announcing his decision, Kummer said, “Making this record available to all Oversight Board members is an important step in exercising oversight of the FBI and holding it accountable to the American people. It is.”
Mr. Kummer immediately called the deal a win and said the FBI had “gone in.” But the Kentucky Republican had previously promised the commission to conduct an insult vote unless the FBI physically handed a copy of the document to the commission. After Mr. Ruskin and Mr. Ruskin saw the document and were briefed, the Thursday ballot was announced on Monday, but the document was not delivered.
But people familiar with the proposal told Politico earlier Wednesday that the FBI is now proposing to have the entire committee scrutinize the document in an attempt to find a way out to block the committee’s vote. rice field. In a joint interview with Fox News, Sen. He acknowledged that he was negotiating.
The agreement was in line with standards set by Chairman Kevin McCarthy, who reiterated that if Mr. Wray showed the document to the entire committee, there would be no need to hold a vote against the FBI director for contempt. Mr McCarthy told reporters earlier Wednesday that Mr Comer deserves credit for his work on any deal.
“If [Wray] I want to thank Chairman Comer for his strength in changing his position and giving it to everyone.”
Some conservatives expressed confidence that they would find Mr. Wray disdainful support among House Republicans. But it’s also a historic vote, with a majority of only five seats, which will likely put some of the more realistic lawmakers in a tough spot.
At the heart of the conflict are documents alleging that Republicans are tying then-Vice President Joe Biden to a “bribery scheme.” The form itself, regardless of its content, alone is not evidence of wrongdoing, and the FBI warns that it contains unverified information.
The documents are linked to a Trump-era investigation led by then-U.S. Attorney Scott Brady, tasked with investigating the allegations of Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney at the time. Democrats and Republicans have been skirmishing over closed-door remarks for days since Monday’s press conference, but the documents were produced as the agency re-interviewed sources seeking information that could be relevant to the Brady probe. We agree that In June 2020.
The informant was considered trustworthy by the FBI and had received six-figure compensation from the agency dating back to the Obama era, Kummer said.
The FBI told Mr. Ruskin and Mr. Comer this week that the extensive investigation into Mr. Brady ended in August 2020. But Republicans stressed that the documents were reportedly turned over to the Delaware Department of Justice prosecutor, who has been conducting a long-running investigation into Hunter Biden. son of the president.
Both Kammer and Ruskin have acknowledged that the allegations, like many of the allegations circulated by Trump’s then-lawyers during the 2020 election, involve Ukraine. Republican watchdog aides stressed that nothing in the 2020 document indicated a direct connection to Giuliani, nor did Giuliani’s name be mentioned, but Democrats said the allegations were against him. characterized as similar to allegations previously passed on to Trump-era judges. Department.
In a statement after Mr. Kummer’s decision, Mr. Ruskin praised the FBI for conducting its business “in a spirit of integrity” and said Republicans on the committee were trying to “ignore facts that undermine the false narrative.” accused of being
“Hanging someone in contempt of Congress is one of the most serious actions the Commission can take and should not be weaponized to undermine the FBI,” Ruskin said. “Although the Republican investigation into President Biden has revealed no evidence of wrongdoing, Republicans continue to attempt to discredit and dismantle the FBI to corroborate Donald Trump’s poll numbers. “
