Sen. Chuck Grassley condemned FBI Director Christopher Wray Thursday for refusing to make public an informant file alleging President Biden was involved in a bribery scheme while serving as vice president — revealing that he had read the document but declining to describe its contents further.
Grassley (R-Iowa) acknowledged on Fox News’ “America’s Newsroom” that he “read that document” privately but was “not going to characterize it” before it was made public and said “it was “not good enough” for the file to be seen by only a handful of politicians given the allegation facing the president.
“They’ve got to produce this document,” the 89-year-old said. “They’re up against what the Durham report has said about the shortcomings and the political bias of the FBI, and this is just one more example of them not being forthcoming to the public because the public’s business ought to be public, and there’s no reason for a non-classified document to be held in secret.”
A Grassley spokesman confirmed to The Post that the senator “has reviewed the FD-1023 form pursuant to legally protected whistleblower disclosures,” but remains concerned about potential retaliation against the individual who made Grassley aware of its existence.
“The Department of Justice and its components have a sordid track record of reprisal against whistleblowers, so he’s limited his public description of the document in order to prevent bad actors at the Department from identifying and retaliating against these whistleblowers,” said Taylor Foy. “The document contains serious allegations implicating then-Vice President Biden in a criminal scheme, and it’s important that the FBI explains what it did, if anything, to investigate further. We’re confident that we’ll get the document one way or another, and the American people will be able to read it for themselves.”
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that the FBI chief had confirmed the existence of the FD-1023 informant file detailing a June 2020 allegation that Biden engaged in a $5 million bribery scheme with a foreign national during the Obama administration.
Comer refused the FBI director’s offer Wednesday to privately review the file alongside Oversight ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and said he would initiate contempt proceedings.
Wray had until Tuesday to share the document with lawmakers following a subpoena from Comer, with the FBI director now vulnerable to contempt proceedings for his refusal to make the file available.
Grassley refused to speak about what exactly the document details, but said it does not endanger any sources, rebutting the FBI’s previous claim about the file.
The senator also said it is yet to be determined how incriminating the file actually is against Biden, if at all, and that the real issue was the “unconstitutional” efforts of the FBI director to keep the document hidden.
“Let’s put it this way. There’s accusations in it, but it’s not for me to make a judgment about whether these accusations are accurate or not,” Grassley said of the FD-1023 file. “It’s my job to make sure the FBI is doing their job, and that’s what this is all about, as far as I’m concerned. The public’s business ought to be public.”
Following the Wednesday call between Comer and Wray, the FBI said in a statement: “Director Wray offered to provide the Committee’s Chairman and Ranking Member an opportunity to review information responsive to the subpoena in a secure manner to accommodate the committee, while protecting the confidentiality and safety of sources and important investigative sensitivities.”
It also said, “The FBI remains committed to cooperating with the Committee in good faith.”
The agency did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby had denied that the president was involved in the bribery scheme, saying in response to a question from The Post: “The president has spoken to this. And there’s nothing to these claims.”
