576/19/2023
Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member for the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray to request that the FBI reiterate in writing for all Members of the Committee the non-classified information provided to Chairman Comer and Ranking Member Raskin in the June 5, 2023, briefing regarding the subpoenaed Form FD-1023.
“It is deeply concerning that recent public statements are plainly inconsistent with statements made by the FBI in the June 5, 2023, briefing. The statements made by the FBI are critical to fully assess the credibility and validity of the double hearsay allegations set forth in the Form FD-1023. I request that no later than Friday, June 23, 2023, the FBI reiterate in writing the non-classified information provided to the Chairman and me in the June 5, 2023, briefing,” wrote Ranking Member Jamie Raskin in the letter.
Following the contextual briefing Chairman Comer and Ranking Member Raskin received from senior FBI officials on June 5, 2023, Committee Republicans have repeatedly contradicted the facts communicated by the FBI during that briefing regarding the months-long efforts by the Department of Justice and FBI team led by U.S. Attorney Scott Brady to review the unsubstantiated, double hearsay allegations contained in the Form FD-1023. This includes Committee Republicans’ false public claims that the FBI, “never did one single thing to investigate” allegations repeated in the Form FD-1023. Additionally, Committee Republicans have contradicted senior FBI officials and falsely suggested that “according to the FBI and according to Bill Barr, Joe Biden is currently under investigation for bribery.” However, at no point during the briefing did the FBI state or suggest this in any way.
During the June 5 briefing, the FBI clearly and repeatedly confirmed that then-Attorney General William Barr selected Scott Brady, the then-U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, based in Pittsburgh, to review allegations made by Rudy Giuliani that then-Vice President Biden and Hunter Biden had been involved in a corruption scheme involving the Ukrainian energy company Burisma and to examine information Mr. Giuliani collected in Ukraine. As part of that investigative effort, Mr. Brady and a team of prosecutors and FBI agents conducted numerous investigative steps, including reviewing suspicious activity reports and interviewing at least one confidential human source (CHS). The FBI memorialized the CHS’s June 2020 interview in the Form FD-1023. The FBI explained that much of the information that the CHS provided had previously been provided to Scott Brady and his team by Mr. Giuliani.
In August 2020, after eight months, Mr. Brady’s assessment was closed with no outstanding investigative steps or tasks remaining because Mr. Brady’s team found insufficient evidence to warrant escalating their probe of Mr. Giuliani’s allegations from an assessment of the allegations to a preliminary or full investigation. The FBI read an excerpt from the memorandum closing this assessment, which was signed off on by Mr. Brady and high-ranking officials in the Trump Justice Department.
“During the briefing, senior FBI officials answered questions for more than an hour and provided crucial context to understand the Form FD-1023 and the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). In particular, in the briefing, the FBI explained that this form was created as part of an assessment, which Attorney General Barr assigned to Scott Brady, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, to examine allegations made by Rudy Giuliani. In August 2020, after eight months of investigative efforts, Mr. Brady’s team found insufficient evidence to warrant escalating this assessment to a preliminary or full investigation, and it was closed with the concurrence of Mr. Brady and high-level DOJ officials. I appreciate that the FBI accommodated the Committee’s request and made the form available to all Members of the Committee. However, I believe our Members would also benefit from the additional, non-classified information provided in the briefing and request that the FBI reiterate this information in writing,” wrote Ranking Member Raskin.