It's Official: FBI Director to Face Contempt of Congress Proceedings
TownhallJun 03, 2023
Comer Cancels Wray Contempt Vote After FBI Agrees to Share Document
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The Facts
James Comer, the Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said on Wednesday that he will reverse his plans to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress. The plans regarded the FBI's previous decision not to hand over unclassified information about Pres. Biden's family dealings.
After Comer and the oversight panel's top-ranking Democrat, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, attended an FBI briefing behind closed doors on Monday, Comer claimed the FBI refused to hand over the document, saying that contempt of Congress hearings would start Thursday.
The Spin
Republican narrative
The FBI has demonstrated time and again that it cannot be trusted, and the agency needs to be held accountable for not being fully transparent in this investigation. The source in question is highly trusted by the FBI, so it’s strange that the agency is being so intransigent regarding Comer's concerns.
Democratic narrative
Though Republicans continue to put on a show for their constituents, Comer is offering few specifics about these allegations. Even if the entire House GOP found Wray in contempt, it’s highly unlikely the DOJ would exercise its power to bring any criminal charges, making this whole fiasco an exercise in political theater.
