During a recent interview on CNN, Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.) provided a comprehensive fact-check to the push from Republicans in Congress to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress over allegations of failing to comply with a subpoena.
The subpoena sought an FBI record detailing an alleged bribery scheme involving Biden and a foreign national, information about which was provided to federal authorities in the U.S. via a third party. There is no clear indication that there is any merit to the allegation. Republicans haven’t even admitted what the claim actually covers, although some have read it, since the FBI did provide limited access to read — just not take possession of — the file. Goldman, though, made an unsurprising connection, tying the allegation to past claims that Biden was somehow seeking to protect his son, Hunter, when clamoring against a past top prosecutor in Ukraine. It seems safe to assume the substance of the allegations that Republicans are highlighting treads similar ground.
“The substance of this document has been debunked over and over and over again,” Goldman told CNN. “And you don’t have to just take my word for it, or the 17 witnesses in the first impeachment investigation who said unequivocally that Vice President Joe Biden executed official U.S. policy by encouraging Ukraine to fire its prosecutor general because he was not prosecuting corruption including against Burisma. But you should take the word of the Trump Department of Justice, which received this information in this document… they evaluated it. And they determined that it did not warrant further investigation.”
Holding Wray in contempt won’t really do much, in a fashion similar to how some of the Trump allies held in contempt in the last Congress for refusing to comply with the House’s January 6 investigation weren’t ever charged with anything. The push for this document and to essentially publicize the baseless and debunked claims it contains is being led in the House by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who leads Oversight. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) has also been a key figure, though he obviously can’t participate in the Oversight Committee’s push to hold Wray in contempt.
Check out Goldman’s comments below, made available at Raw Story:
