Posted on 06/08/23
| News Source: The Hill
House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) pressed pause on Wednesday night on his push to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress, after the bureau agreed to grant all committee members access to a document containing an unverified tip about potential wrongdoing by President Biden.
The House Oversight committee was previously set to convene for a business meeting on Thursday to vote on holding Wray in contempt.
Comer and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the panel, both had an opportunity to view the document on Monday. However, the Kentucky Republican vowed to move forward with the contempt vote against Wray for failing to physically turn over the document in response to a subpoena.
The FBI has now agreed to allow all committee members to review the document in person and receive a briefing, Comer said on Wednesday. He and Raskin will also have the opportunity to review two additional documents referenced in the initial tip form.
“Americans have lost trust in the FBI’s ability to enforce the law impartially and demand answers, transparency, and accountability,” Comer said in a statement. “Allowing all Oversight Committee members to review this record is an important step toward conducting oversight of the FBI and holding it accountable to the American people.”
Wray, who was appointed by former President Trump, has recently found himself at the center of Republican lawmakers’ battle with the FBI, which they have accused of improperly targeting conservatives.
Raskin said in a statement on Wednesday that the FBI had offered “yet further accommodations” to committee Republicans “in the spirit of good faith.” However, he accused Republicans of “attempting to distort” the contents of the document.