James Comer vows to hold Christopher Wray in contempt as FBI won’t share Biden bribe tip

WASHINGTON — House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Tuesday he will move to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress after he again refused to share an informant file that allegedly President Biden in a $5 million bribery scheme.

Comer (R-Ky.) set a final compliance deadline of Tuesday, which the FBI made clear it would not meet.

“Today, the FBI informed the Committee that it will not provide the unclassified documents subpoenaed by the Committee,” Comer said. “The FBI’s decision to stiff-arm Congress and hide this information from the American people is obstructionist and unacceptable.

“While I have a call scheduled with FBI Director Wray tomorrow to discuss his response further, the Committee has been clear in its intent to protect Congressional oversight authorities and will now be taking steps to hold the FBI Director in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a lawful subpoena,” Comer added.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday morning said that he will lead Republicans in voting to hold Wray in contempt if he refuses to provide the informant file, which he said could be redacted to protect highly sensitive informant information.

“Let me tell Director Christopher Wray right here, right now: If he misses the deadline today, I’m prepared to move contempt charges in Congress against him,” McCarthy said on “Fox & Friends.”

The FBI claimed in a mid-afternoon statement that it was concerned about revealing confidential information.

“The FBI remains committed to cooperating with Congress’s oversight requests on this matter and others as we always have, and we continue to be in touch with members of Congress regarding this request,” a bureau spokesperson told The Post. “The FBI’s mission is to protect the American people. Releasing confidential source information could potentially jeopardize investigations and put lives at risk.”

Comer issued a subpoena for the informant file on May 3 after a whistleblower contacted Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) about the document, said to have been “created or modified” on June 30, 2020, and pertained to a “criminal scheme” during Biden’s vice presidency.

The FBI initially refused to provide the document on May 10, citing concerns about informant confidentiality and the fact that tips are unverified.

A contempt of Congress vote can carry criminal penalties but serves primarily to shame the officeholder. Other congressional tools available to enforce subpoenas include litigation, withholding of funding, or impeachment.

Comer and Grassley have not publicly discussed major details of the bribery allegation, such as specifying which country or US policy decisions it involves.

During and immediately after his vice presidency, Joe Biden interacted with Hunter and first brother James Biden’s associates from China, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine, according to files from Hunter’s abandoned laptop, photographs, and witness recollections.

This is a developing story.