Category: fox-news/tech/topics/fbi

Rep. Mike Garcia slams FBI director as being ineffective at his job: ‘I don’t trust you’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., blatantly told FBI Director Christopher Wray that he does not trust him, while accusing him of not being transparent and standing "relatively silent" about the southern border instead of helping to shape policies on the matter, particularly regarding national security.

Wray met with the House Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday afternoon urging Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to be reauthorized by Congress and to discuss next year’s budget, and while some of the discussion involved dollar figures, the FBI director was there to defend efforts to fend off terrorist attacks and the infiltration of the U.S. by violent gangs through the southern border, many of which are connected to the fentanyl epidemic.

When it was time for Garcia to question Wray, the Congressional representative did not hold back.

"I’ll be honest with you, and this pains me to say this, but I don’t trust you," Garcia told Wray.

MORE THAN 40 SENATE REPUBLICANS CALL FOR MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL IN LETTER TO SCHUMER

The legislator told Wray he did not think it was a funding problem, but rather a "lack of transparency," along with the "weaponization and politicization" of issues and instruments used for national security against Americans and institutions, like churches.

Garcia accused Wray of standing relatively silent and passive about "the biggest national security threat" to the U.S. – referring to the southern border — and refused to give "little credence" in the director’s ability to do his job or lead the "brave agents" below him.

"I don’t trust you to protect us," Garcia said. "I think because of your inability to lead and also shape the policies and the DOJ and at the White House, we are now in a more precarious position than we were, I would submit, than we were on September 10th of 2001."

FBI DIRECTOR CHRISTOPHER WRAY CITES INCREASED FOREIGN THREATS IN FISA REAUTHORIZATION PLEA: ‘ROGUE’S GALLERY'

Wray appeared to listen as the congressional representative continued to attack him and his reputation.

During the hearing, Wray spoke about the border and his concerns about it being open, particularly in terms of how the opening benefits the cartels and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.

He told the subcommittee that when agents take down violent gangs, they notice it includes the seizure of fentanyl. The fentanyl, Wray explained, is coming from the cartels, which are getting the dangerous drug from China.

HOUSE BRACES FOR BATTLE OVER RENEWING CONTROVERSIAL FISA SURVEILLANCE TOOL

"Last year, I guess the last two years in a row…the FBI seized enough fentanyl to kill 270 million American people," he said. "And that gives you a sense of the scale of what we’re up against."

Wray continued to speak about instances with the Sinaloa and CJNG cartels, saying he has asked for help from the Mexican government in dealing with these dangerous criminals.

Efforts to target the cartels include going after their money and assets and other infrastructure, as well as going after leadership. But to do so, he added, the FBI is going to need more money.

Garcia told Wray that prior to him being able to ask questions, the FBI director had only mentioned the southern border about four times, closing over the idea that there are over 7 million people who have entered the country illegally, 350 of whom are on the FBI terror watch list, and 1.7 million who were able to flee border patrols before being apprehended.

FBI DIRECTOR SAYS CHINESE HACKERS ARE 'POISED TO ATTACK' AS INFILTRATIONS REACH 'FEVER PITCH'

The representative accused Wray, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and President Biden of not protecting American citizens, and putting them into a "clear and present danger situation."

"You have been unable to change the policies driven by your leadership," Garcia told Wray, adding he was ineffective at shaping policies that affect national security.

"Can I just get a simple yes or no response," Garcia asked. "Does the border policy make your job easier or harder, or are we safer or less safe as a result of the open border policy?"

Wray responded and said he had been consistent in citing his concerns about the threats along the border, adding he disagreed "very strongly" with a number of aspects of it.

He then asked if he had gone to Biden and pointed out that the "border policy is a galactic stupid policy from a national security perspective," and if so, how it went.

"Well, I’m not going to get into specific conversations with people," Wray said. "I’ve been consistent in my message externally and internally about my concerns about the threats that are from the FBI’s perspective, that emanate from the border."

Texas AG Ken Paxton cuts deal to pay $300K and avoid felony trial on fraud charges: ‘Happy to comply’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, agreed to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution on Tuesday under a deal cut with federal prosecutors to terminate fraud charges that have been leveraged against him for nine years. Paxton had pleaded not guilty. 

Prosecutors announced the decision in a Houston courtroom just weeks before Paxton was set to face trial, where he could have faced 99 years in prison if found guilty. 

Paxton's attorney, Dan Cogdell, told Fox News Digital following the announcement that "the state finally realized that they could not prove the charges and simply made us an offer that I could not in good faith advise my client to turn down." 

"Anytime a prosecutor offers clear path to have all the charges against a client of mine dismissed, I am going to recommend they take that path. Only a fool would do otherwise," he said.

EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR DETAILS SURFACE IN HISTORIC IMPEACHMENT TRIAL OF TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON

Cogdell said in a press conference Tuesday that Paxton is "happy to comply with the agreement" and avoid a federal trial. 

"We're glad to have this behind us. Eighteen months from now, or perhaps shorter, the case will be dismissed. There will never be a conviction, and Ken Paxton, at least today, can begin to go back and do what he should have been doing all along and that is representing the state of Texas."

"This was a case we knew in fact from the beginning they couldn't prove … on year nine, we still know they couldn't prove," Cogdell said. "You don't go to trial to prove your innocence, the Constitution says the exact opposite of that." 

TEXAS AG PAXTON ACQUITTED ON ALL IMPEACHMENT CHARGES: 'THE TRUTH PREVAILED'

In July 2015, before he became the state's top law enforcement officer, Paxton was indicted on charges of allegedly misleading and defrauding wealthy tech startup investors and failing to disclose that the startup was paying him to promote its assets.

A Texas grand jury indicted Paxton on two counts of first-degree securities fraud and a charge of not registering. Paxton was also fined in 2014 for not disclosing to Texas securities regulators that he was getting commissions for soliciting investors.

TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON TEXAS AG KEN PAXTON IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, ARGUES ‘ESTABLISHMENT RINOS’ WANT TO ‘UNDO’ ELECTION

The deal that gets Paxton off the hook, which requires him to pay full restitution to victims and complete 100 community service hours and 15 hours of legal education classes, is the second legal victory for the AG in recent months. 

In September 2023, Paxton was acquitted of all impeachment articles filed against him for corruption and unfitness for office. He had faced accusations that he misused his political power to help real estate developer Nate Paul — allegations that stemmed from a lawsuit filed by four former employees who reported him to the FBI. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News' Chris Pandolfo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

House Republicans move to strengthen protections for DOJ whistleblowers

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are eyeing stronger protections for whistleblowers who come out publicly against the Department of Justice (DOJ).

A new bill led by Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., and backed by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is aimed at trying to ensure an expedient and impartial process for DOJ whistleblowers.

"Unfortunately, the FBI and DOJ have a long history of quieting whistleblowers by pulling security clearances, delaying investigations and ending their careers. The Protect Whistleblowers from Retaliation Act will ensure those who come forward to do the right thing are able to do so without fearing for their future," Langworthy told Fox News Digital.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEMAND TRANSCRIPT OF BIDEN’S INTERVIEW WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL AS PART OF IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY

Jordan told Fox News Digital "dozens" of DOJ whistleblowers have approached his committee "with allegations of political bias and misconduct."

"These whistleblowers risked their careers and their livelihoods to speak out to shine a light on the problem and to restore public trust in the FBI. Regrettably, loopholes in existing whistleblower protection laws have allowed FBI senior leadership to retaliate against many of these whistleblowers," Jordan said.

DOJ DEFENDS SPECIAL COUNSEL REPORT ON BIDEN'S MEMORY: 'CONSISTENT WITH LEGAL REQUIREMENT,' NOT 'GRATUITOUS'

The bill would affirm the DOJ Inspector General’s office as the sole investigator for whistleblower retaliation investigations and would require those investigations be completed within 240 days.

It would also block the DOJ from implementing personnel practices involving the removal of security clearances.

Earlier this month, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced a 90-day pilot program to encourage whistleblowers to come forward with new and important information.

BIDEN, NOT SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR, BROUGHT UP SON'S DEATH IN QUESTIONING

The House Judiciary Committee has been investigating allegations of whistleblower retaliation within the FBI, in particular, since Republicans took the majority in January 2023. Its select subcommittee on weaponization of the federal government held a hearing in May of last year about alleged whistleblower retaliation within the bureau.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment on Langworthy and Jordan’s accusations.  

Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens’ business dealings re-arrested

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

A former FBI informant who was arrested last week on charges of lying to the bureau about the Bidens’ alleged business dealings with a Ukrainian energy company, was re-arrested Thursday after a judge deemed him a flight risk. 

Alexander Smirnov, 43, was released by a Nevada judge earlier this week. A California judge ordered him arrested again on Thursday after federal prosecutors argued Smirnov, who holds dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, was a flight risk. 

The informant, Alexander Smirnov, is "actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections," federal prosecutors said Wednesday, as they appealed to a judge to keep him behind bars ahead of trial on charges alleging he lied to the FBI about a phony multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the Bidens and the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.

FBI REPORTEDLY INVESTIGATING CONTROVERSIAL DEMOCRATIC MAYOR WHO SCHMOOZED WITH BIDEN LAST MONTH

The latest charges were filed in Los Angeles, California, meaning if his case goes to trial, that's where the case will be. 

Several sealed entries were listed in the court docket, but no additional details about his return to custody were immediately available.

Smirnov is charged with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record.

According to attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, Smirnov was arrested Thursday morning at their law offices in downtown Las Vegas on the same charges. The lawyers did not immediately respond to phone and text message requests for further comment.

Prosecutors say Smirnov falsely told his handler that executives from the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid President Biden and Hunter Biden $5 million each around 2015. The claim became central to the Republican impeachment inquiry in Congress.

FBI informant who lied about the Bidens’ ties to Ukrainian energy company had high-level Russian contacts: DOJ

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

A former FBI informant charged with lying about a multimillion-dollar bribery scheme between a Ukrainian energy company and the Bidens had contacts with Russian intelligence officials, prosecutors said Tuesday. 

In court filings, prosecutors said Alexander Smirnov admitted during an interview before his arrest last week that "officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story" about the president’s son, Hunter Biden. They said Smirnov's contacts with Russian officials were recent and extensive, and said Smirnov had planned to meet with one official during an upcoming overseas trip.

They said Smirnov has had numerous contacts with a person he described as the "son of a former high-ranking government official" and "someone with ties to a particular Russian intelligence service." They said there is a serious risk that Smirnov could flee overseas to avoid facing trial.

Prosecutors revealed the alleged contact as they urged a judge to keep Smirnov behind bars while he awaits trial. 

HUNTER BIDEN WAS PAID $100K A MONTH THROUGH CHINESE FIRM VENTURE, EX-ASSOCIATE TESTIFIED

Smirnov, who holds dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship, is charged with falsely reporting to the FBI in June 2020 that executives associated with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015 or 2016. 

Smirnov had only routine business dealings with the company starting in 2017 and made the bribery allegations after he "expressed bias" against Joe Biden while he was a presidential candidate, prosecutors said. Special Counsel David Weiss said Smirnov’s lies were aimed at affecting the 2024 presidential election. 

Smirnov is charged with making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record. The charges were filed in Los Angeles, where he lived for 16 years before relocating to Las Vegas two years ago.

Smirnov was due in court later Tuesday in Las Vegas. He has been in custody at a facility in rural Pahrump, about an hour drive west of Las Vegas, since his arrest last week at the airport while returning from overseas.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel Albregts allowed Smirnov to be released from custody on electronic GPS monitoring while he awaits trial. He must stay in Clark County, Nevada, and is prohibited from applying for a new passport.

Before his arrest, Smirnov had been scheduled to leave the U.S. for a months-long, multi-country trip that – by his own admission – involved meetings with officials of foreign intelligence agencies and governments, prosecutors said. 

Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Defense attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld had argued for Smirnov's release while he awaits trial "so he can effectively fight the power of the government."

Smirnov's claims have been central to the Republican effort in Congress to investigate the president and his family, and helped spark what is now a House impeachment inquiry into Biden. Democrats called for an end to the probe after the indictment came down last week, while Republicans distanced the inquiry from Smirnov's claims and said they would continue to "follow the facts."

Hunter Biden is expected to give a deposition next week.

The Burisma allegations became a flashpoint in Congress as Republicans pursuing investigations of President Biden and his family demanded the FBI release the unredacted form documenting the allegations. They acknowledged they couldn't confirm if the allegations were true.

Fox News' David Spunt and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Hunter Biden’s ex-partner Bobulinski calls on Bidens to join him for testimony after claim he lied to FBI

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden’s ex-business associate, Tony Bobulinski, suggested he and the Biden family appear together for public testimony before Congress after lawyers for the president's son alleged Bobulinski lied to the FBI about the nature of his business relationship.

Fox News obtained a copy of a 10-page letter Hunter Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, sent to U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves, claiming Bobulinski lied to the FBI during an interview Oct. 23, 2020, about his business dealings with the president’s son.

Lowell called for Graves to investigate Bobulinski for "false" statements regarding his work. Bobulinski worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC.

An attorney for Bobulinski provided Fox News Digital a statement on behalf of his client, denying Lowell’s allegations.

BOBULINSKI OFFERED TO TESTIFY AT HUNTER BIDEN GRAND JURY BUT 'NEVER HEARD BACK': SOURCE

"All of the allegations contained in Mr. Lowell’s 10-page letter to U.S. Attorney Graves are patently false, and I look forward to exposing these lies and laying out the facts in a public forum in short order," Bobulinski said in the statement. 

"The sad thing for our country is that Hunter, Jim and Joe Biden along with Abbe Lowell know they are all false and are trying to weaponize the DOJ against me.

"If Hunter Biden and the Biden family are so determined to ensure that the full truth is put before the American people, Hunter, Jim, Joe and I should all appear together before Congress, publicly and under oath," he continued. "They can name the date, time and place, and I would certainly be willing to do that for the American people."

Lowell, in the letter, claimed Bobulinski "lied about the business discussions among the partners involved" in the joint venture.

"The materials reveal the extraordinary lengths Mr. Bobulinski and other individuals were willing to go to implicate Mr. Biden or members of his family in some false and meritless allegations of wrongdoing," Lowell wrote. 

"Even in an era in which people peddle knowing lies with the goal of their falsehoods being repeated and disseminated for their political advantage, these statements by Mr. Bobulinski cannot and must not go unchecked."

Lowell also alleged Bobulinski was never in Miami in 2017 for initial discussions with Hunter Biden, CEFC chairman Ye Jianming and other associates.

EXCLUSIVE: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE'S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN

Lowell references an infamous May 13, 2017, email that includes a breakdown of the "financial capitalization of the joint venture with CEFC."

The email, first reported by Fox News Digital in October 2020, shows a proposed equity split with references "20" for "H" and "10 held by H for the big guy?" with no further details.

Bobulinski has repeatedly said "the big guy" was Joe Biden. IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who claimed politics influenced the years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden, also said "the big guy" was known to be Joe Biden.

HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS LIMITED QUESTIONS ABOUT 'DAD,' 'BIG GUY' DESPITE FBI, IRS OBJECTIONS: WHISTLEBLOWER

Lowell, in the letter, claimed Bobulinski was "making things up" and claimed Bobulinski "has no basis in fact by which to assert that there was a reference to the ‘big guy’ or that it was not his own musing or that it was a reference to Vice President Joe Biden."

Lowell said Bobulinski’s "false statements are obviously made to greatly exaggerate Mr. Bobulinski’s short-lived business relationship" with Hunter Biden "in order to create a false narrative that Mr. Biden and Jim Biden were somehow involved in off-the-books business with CEFC Chairman Ye while Joseph Biden was still Vice President."

Lowell said Bobulinski’s "lie" is the "same false narrative that serves as the improper and illusory basis of an impeachment inquiry by House Republicans and the justification for Mr. Bobulinski’s testimony."

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

The House Oversight Committee, which is jointly leading the investigation with the House Judiciary and House Ways & Means Committees, reacted to Lowell’s request on "X," formerly Twitter, Friday afternoon.

"Hunter Biden and his legal team are once again attacking anyone who speaks out against the Bidens," the Oversight Committee wrote. "This time, their target is Tony Bobulinski, a potential witness in our investigation.

"We will not tolerate witness intimidation. The truth will come out soon enough despite the Biden team’s threatening tactics. We will give Hunter the opportunity to clear the air and speak with us soon."

FBI received ‘criminal information’ from over 40 confidential sources on Joe Biden, Hunter, James: Grassley

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

EXCLUSIVE: The FBI maintained more than 40 confidential human sources on various criminal matters related to the Biden family, including Joe Biden, dating back to his time as vice president, according to information obtained by Sen. Chuck Grassley.

The confidential human sources "provided criminal information to the FBI relating to Joe Biden, James Biden, and Hunter Biden." Those confidential human sources were managed by multiple FBI field offices across the nation—including the FBI’s Seattle Field Office.

EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF A BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT

But Grassley learned that an FBI task force within the Washington Field Office sought to, and in some cases, successfully, shut down reporting and information from those sources by falsely discrediting the information as foreign disinformation. That effort "caused investigative activity to cease."

However, despite those efforts by the FBI task force, Grassley said in at least one instance, a confidential human source and its information had been vetted by multiple U.S. attorney’s offices, which found "no hits to known sources of Russian disinformation."

The revelations were laid out in a letter Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray late Tuesday night. The letter was exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital.

"Based on the information provided to my office over a period of years by multiple credible whistleblowers, there appears to be an effort within the Justice Department and FBI to shut down investigative activity relating to the Biden family," Grassley wrote to Garland and Wray. "Such decisions point to significant political bias infecting the decision-making of not only the Attorney General and FBI Director, but also line agents and prosecutors."

He added: "Our Republic cannot survive such a political infection and you have an obligation to this country to clear the air."

Grassley has been investigating for years information, records, and allegations from multiple Justice Department whistleblowers that indicate "there is—and has been—an effort among certain Justice Department and FBI officials to improperly delay and stop full and complete investigative activity into the Biden family, including but not limited to FD-1023s referencing the Biden family."

An FD-1023 is an FBI-generated form used to document confidential human source reporting.

BIDENS ALLEGEDLY 'COERCED' BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

"An essential question that must be answered is this: did the FBI investigate the information or shut it down?" Grassley wrote, noting that if those sources were "improperly shut down, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for the FBI."

One critical FD-1023 in question was first reported on by Fox News Digital earlier this year. That form included reporting from a "highly-credible" confidential human source who alleged a criminal bribery scheme between then-Vice President Joe Biden, his son Hunter Biden, and the founder and CEO of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings, Mykola Zlochevsky.

The form details multiple meetings and conversations the source had with a top executive of Burisma Holdings over the course of several years starting in 2015. Hunter Biden, at the time, sat on the board of Burisma.

The source told the FBI that Joe Biden and Hunter Biden allegedly "coerced" Zlochevsky to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company, Viktor Shokin, fired.

The White House has denied the allegations.

But that form and those allegations are "part of an ongoing investigative matter," which Grassley says indicates "its investigative credibility and authenticity."

In the letter transmitted to the DOJ and FBI late Tuesday, Grassley revealed that in December 2019, the FBI Washington Field Office closed a "205B" Kleptocracy case into Zlochevsky. That probe had been opened in January 2016 by a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act squad based out of that same field office—a squad that included agents from FBI headquarters.

EXCLUSIVE: PERSON ALLEGING BIDEN CRIMINAL BRIBERY SCHEME IS 'HIGHLY CREDIBLE' FBI SOURCE USED SINCE OBAMA ADMIN: SOURCE

At the time of the closing of the probe, in December 2019, Hunter Biden’s role on the board of Burisma was heavily under the microscope amid the first impeachment of former President Trump. The impeachment proceedings were based on a request from Trump to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate the Biden family’s business dealings in Ukraine and why the prosecutor investigating Burisma had been fired.

Months later, in February 2020, Grassley said a meeting took place at the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, which involved discussion about investigative matters relating to the Hunter Biden investigation and related inquiries. By March 2020, a "guardian" assessment was opened in that office to analyze information about the Bidens provided by then-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.

During the course of that assessment, DOJ and FBI officials located an FD-1023 from March 1, 2017, relating to the kleptocracy investigation of Zlochevsky. That document included a reference to Hunter Biden being on the board of Burisma, which "the handling agent deemed at the time non-relevant information to the ongoing criminal financial case." 

"When that FD-1023 was discovered, Justice Department and FBI officials asked the handler for the Confidential Human Source to re-interview that CHS," Grassley said.

Eventually, that re-interview took place, Grassley said, and the aforementioned FD-1023 alleging a criminal scheme between then-Vice President Biden, Hunter Biden, and Zlochevsky, was created in June 2020.

But federal prosecutors in Pittsburgh were "limited in their investigative abilities." Grassley said because it was merely an "assessment." Prosecutors were not able to issue subpoenas and search warrants, but instead, only able to conduct "database checks."

"My office has been informed that the FBI agents and DOJ officials working the Pittsburgh Assessment had to pause their work for weeks at a time because the assessment had to be re-approved every 30 days by multiple DOJ and FBI officials," Grassley wrote in the letter.

DOJ KNEW HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP WAS 'NOT MANIPULATED,' CONTAINED 'RELIABLE EVIDENCE' IN 2019: WHISTLEBLOWER

Several months later, in August 2020, FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Brian Auten opened an assessment, which was used by the Foreign Influence Task Force, to seek out confidential human source information at FBI field offices across the country relating to the Biden family. Grassley said he then worked to "falsely discredit them as foreign disinformation."

The task force "attempted to shut down" the investigative steps on the FD-1023 in question, saying it "was subject to foreign disinformation." 

"It should be emphasized that the basis for trying to shut down the Biden family 1023 has been described to my office as highly suspect and is contradicted by other documents my office has been told exist within the Foreign Influence Task Force, FBI Seattle Field Office, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and FBI HQ holdings," Grassley wrote.

During that same time period, in August 2020, that task force traveled to Capitol Hill and "improperly briefed" Grassley and Johnson on their investigation into the Biden family after "pressure from congressional Democrats."

"That improper briefing was used by Democrat’s and the partisan media to falsely claim our investigation, which was based on Obama/Biden administration records, was impacted by foreign disinformation," Grassley wrote.

The Pittsburgh assessment was ultimately closed weeks later, in Sept. 2020, and a final report of its findings was transmitted by U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Scott Brady to the main Justice Department—specifically directed to Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Rich Donoghue.

DOJ ORDERED HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS TO 'REMOVE ANY REFERENCE' TO JOE BIDEN IN FARA PROBE WARRANT: HOUSE GOP

The subject line of that report, dated Sept. 21, 2020, was: "VETTING."

In that report, Brady noted that investigators "had limited ability to verify all information," due to their lack of authorization for a grand jury. Investigators were unable to issue subpoenas for relevant documents or for interviews. The report, though, included a recommendation that "additional investigative activity be done." 

Brady’s office, did, however, coordinate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in 2020 on the Biden FD-1023. Both U.S. attorneys offices "found no hits to known sources of Russian disinformation" related to the FD-1023 in question.

The report was eventually transmitted to now-Special Counsel David Weiss, who has been investigating Hunter Biden since 2018. That probe was launched initially as a money laundering investigation and a Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) case. That investigation is ongoing.

Meanwhile, on a call in early October 2020, it became clear that FBI agents in Delaware "were in possession of email evidence that contradicted denials made by Joe Biden that he was never aware of or involved in Hunter Biden’s business arrangements."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lesley Wolf was briefed in late October 2020 on the contents of the FD-1023 in question, but Grassley said she "prevented investigators from seeking information about Joe Biden’s involvement in Hunter Biden’s criminal arrangements." IRS whistleblowers involved in the investigation have also made that allegation.

Grassley also noted that in October 2020, an "avenue of derogatory Hunter Biden reporting was ordered closed" at the direction of Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Thibault— a move that whistleblowers said was made "in furtherance of Auten’s assessment."

Grassley said publicly released portions of Thibault’s interview with the House Judiciary Committee confirmed those allegations and reveals that an FBI headquarters and "Baltimore element wanted the Hunter Biden reporting closed which Thibault followed through on." 

DOJ REVEALS HUNTER BIDEN STILL UNDER FEDERAL INVESTIGATION FOR POTENTIAL FARA VIOLATIONS

Weeks later, after the 2020 presidential election, Grassley and Johnson made public their final report out of their probe, detailing their findings based on hundreds of Treasury Department Suspicious Activity Reports, interviews, and thousands of pages of government records dating back to the Obama administration.

"Our findings indicated potential criminal activity, to include money laundering, with respect to members of the Biden family and their business associates as well as strong financial connections to questionable foreign nationals and foreign government-linked corporate entities," Grassley wrote.

HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATORS LIMITED QUESTIONS ABOUT 'DAD,' 'BIG GUY' DESPITE FBI, IRS OBJECTIONS: WHISTLEBLOWER

Since, Grassley has been in touch with Weiss’ team, and has provided hundreds of pages of bank records "connecting the Biden family to Chinese-government linked entities."

Grassley demanded the FBI and DOJ provide answers to his letter by Nov. 17.

Legal experts slam Jack Smith for bringing ‘lousy’ case against Trump: ‘Disinformation indictment’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Legal experts are criticizing special counsel Jack Smith for his latest indictment against Donald Trump for accusing the former president of spreading disinformation and other activities protected by the First Amendment.

Trump was indicted out of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation related to 2020 election interference and the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot, and is facing charges such as conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.

"The most jarring thing about this indictment is it basically just accuses him of disinformation — this is a disinformation indictment," said legal scholar Jonathan Turley, a professor of public interest law at George Washington University and a Fox News contributor.

"It said [Trump] was spreading falsehoods, that [he] was undermining integrity of the election — that is all part of the First Amendment," Turley said. "And I think that courts will look skeptically."

TRUMP INDICTED ON CHARGES OUT OF SPECIAL COUNSEL PROBE INTO JAN 6

Turley said that one thing that is noticeably absent from the indictment is a charge for "conspiracy for incitement" or "seditious conspiracy."

"Those were the claims the Democrats used in the impeachment and said the evidence was absolutely clear, people like (Rep.) Adam Schiff and others saying [Trump] is clearly guilty of those crimes," Turley explained. "Well, they’re not in here."

He added: "I think there are some serious legal problems with this indictment."

Andy McCarthy, a former federal prosecutor and assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a Fox News contributor, told Fox News Digital that Smith brought "a lousy case."

"I think all the counts have significant legal problems, and that’s even before you get to the complex problems of trying to prove Trump’s intent," McCarthy said.

SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH SAYS JAN 6 ‘FUELED BY LIES’ FROM TRUMP, PRAISES ‘HEROES’ WHO DEFENDED CAPITOL

McCarthy said that one "significant problem" is the fraud that Smith has alleged.

"It is not actionable fraud as the Supreme Court has described fraud — as recently as May," McCarthy said. "The Supreme Court made very clear that fraud in federal law is a scheme to swindle someone out of money or physical property."

McCarthy added that this is "exactly the kind of case" the court was telling prosecutors not to bring, "and he brought it anyway."

McCarthy also dismissed the "conspiracy against rights" charge that Smith brought against Trump.

"Smith is using a statute enacted right after the Civil War, which was actually directed at violent intimidation by the Ku Klux Klan against Black voters in the South — which doesn’t have any connection to what we’re talking about here," McCarthy explained. "They applied that law to ballot box stuffing, so what Smith is trying to tease out of that case is what then-Justice Thurgood Marshall said in the 1960s: You don’t have to have violence. You just have to have activity that functionally cancels out people’s votes."

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 37 FEDERAL FELONY CHARGES IN CLASSIFIED RECORDS CASE

McCarthy said the "most insidious thing" the special counsel does is "he doesn’t charge Trump with any violence because there is no connection."

"The Justice Department would love to charge Trump with seditious conspiracy, but the problem is, he said he supported a peaceful march on the Capitol," McCarthy said. "That may have been a stupid thing to do, but not a criminal thing to do."

McCarthy told Fox News Digital that Smith alleges that Trump "exploited the violence at the Capitol riot."

"That’s an unseemly thing for a prosecutor to do when he is not charging Trump with the Capitol riot," McCarthy explained. "Inconveniently for him, he has no evidence that Trump orchestrated them, or intended for them to do it."

McCarthy added that Smith put this into the indictment so he can argue that he "needs Capitol riot evidence in the trial."

"And then he’ll try to rush the trial in the run-up to the election," McCarthy said. "Then the American electorate will have Capitol riot imagery in the front of their minds as they go to vote in 2024."

DESANTIS CALLS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT REFORMS AFTER TRUMP JANUARY 6 INDICTMENT 

But not every legal expert says Smith's case is weak. Laurence Tribe, professor of constitutional law emeritus at Harvard University, told Fox News Digital that Smith has brought an "airtight" indictment against the former president.

"The factual details, if true as claimed, leave Trump with no legitimate legal defenses," Tribe said. "And the sources for all the damning direct quotations, including those by Mr. Trump himself, are all individuals he hand-picked for their loyalty to him — they have no conceivable motive to lie. And there’s no chance they’re misremembering anything so stark."

Tribe told Fox News Digital that Trump’s "only hope to avoid conviction" on this latest set of charges is "to get someone installed as president who would pardon him or get the Justice Department to drop the case."

Smith announced the charges against Trump on Tuesday, saying Jan. 6 was "an unprecedented assault on the seat of American democracy."

"Described in the indictment, it was fueled by lies — lies by the defendant — targeted at obstructing a bedrock function of the U.S. government: the nation's process of collecting, counting and certifying the results of the presidential election," he said.

Trump has been ordered to appear in federal court in Washington, D.C., for his arraignment on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.

This is the second federal indictment the former president faces out of Smith’s investigation. Trump, who leads the 2024 GOP presidential primary field, has already pleaded not guilty to 37 counts related to his alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency.

Those charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. Trump was charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of that probe last week.

Republican calls to impeach Biden grow following release of FBI document detailing bribery allegations

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Republicans immediately began lashing out at President Biden Thursday following the release of an unclassified FBI document detailing his alleged involvement in an international bribery scheme, with a number rallying for his impeachment.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released the FD-1023 form earlier in the day which detailed how Biden, along with his son, Hunter Biden, allegedly "coerced" Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired.

"Most corrupt family to ever live in the White House! Impeach!" Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., wrote on Twitter, while Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., wrote, "Read and understand just how deep the corruption goes. Biden should be thrown out of office. Impeach!"

Former Arizona gubernatorial candidate and conservative firebrand Kari Lake suggested the president was guilty of "extortion" and "treason" in addition to bribery, and claimed former President Donald Trump was impeached for Biden's "crimes."

BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED’ BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM

"Is this why Biden has America involved in the war in Ukraine??? Joe Biden is a criminal and is compromised! And he is leading us into WW3 [because Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy has proof of more Biden crimes," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., tweeted. "Republicans can no longer delay, but we need 218 Republican votes to do it. I’ve been there since day one and so are the American people. IMPEACH BIDEN!!!"

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., also called for Biden's impeachment prior to the release of the document, writing that he "NEEDS to be impeached" because of the "evidence and testimony" she had seen as a member of the House Oversight Committee investigating the Biden family finances. "He is compromised and his son is selling access to him," she added.

"This is damning evidence that Biden is compromised. Remember when Democrats and their pals in the media went as far as to question whether this document even exists?" Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, tweeted, while Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., declared, "The Biden family corruption saga continues."

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., vowed the House Oversight Committee would hold Biden accountable, while Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., told Fox News, "It causes some great concerns that our president could be compromised to a foreign government."

WHISTLEBLOWER CONFIRMS ATTORNEY WHO DONATED TO BIDEN'S 2020 CAMPAIGN ‘REFUSED TO BRING CHARGES’ AGAINST HUNTER

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment, however White House spokesman for oversight and investigations Ian Sams wrote on Twitter, "The far right machine is in overdrive to spread long-disproven lies about President Biden promulgated by Congressional Republicans This time disguised by the facade of a ‘new FBI form.’ But an old debunked lie is still an old debunked lie, even if it put on a new pair of shoes."

Grassley said he released the document so that the American people can "read this document for themselves without the filter of politicians or bureaucrats." The document in question is an FBI-generated FD-1023 form, which Grassley acquired via legally protected disclosures by Justice Department whistleblowers, according to the senator's office. 

That FD-1023 — a confidential human source (CHS) reporting document — reflects the FBI's interview with a "highly credible" confidential source who detailed multiple meetings and conversations he or she had with a top executive of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings over the course of several years starting in 2015. Hunter Biden, at the time, sat on the board of Burisma.

Fox News Digital has reviewed the document, which includes new information, including the identity of the business executive — Burisma CEO Zlochevsky — and the allegations that he was "coerced" into paying Joe Biden and Hunter Biden millions of dollars to get a Ukrainian prosecutor investigating his firm fired. 

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Bidens allegedly ‘coerced’ Burisma CEO to pay them millions to help get Ukraine prosecutor fired: FBI form

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Joe Biden and Hunter Biden allegedly "coerced" Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired, according to allegations contained in an unclassified FBI document released Thursday by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Grassley said he released the document, which describes an alleged criminal bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a Ukrainian business executive, so that the American people can "read this document for themselves without the filter of politicians or bureaucrats." 

The document in question is an FBI-generated FD-1023 form, which Grassley acquired via legally protected disclosures by Justice Department whistleblowers, according to the senator's office. 

EXCLUSIVE: JOE BIDEN ALLEGEDLY PAID $5M BY BURISMA EXECUTIVE AS PART OF A BRIBERY SCHEME, ACCORDING TO FBI DOCUMENT

That FD-1023 — a confidential human source (CHS) reporting document — reflects the FBI's interview with a "highly credible" confidential source who detailed multiple meetings and conversations he or she had with a top executive of Ukrainian natural gas firm Burisma Holdings over the course of several years starting in 2015. Hunter Biden, at the time, sat on the board of Burisma.

Fox News Digital has reviewed the document, which includes new information, including the identity of the business executive — Burisma CEO Zlochevsky — and the allegations that he was "coerced" into paying Joe Biden and Hunter Biden millions of dollars to get a Ukrainian prosecutor investigating his firm fired. 

In the form, Zlochevsky tells the source he has "many text messages and ‘recordings’ that show he was coerced to make such payments" to the Bidens.

Biden has acknowledged that when he was vice president, he successfully pressured Ukraine to fire prosecutor Viktor Shokin. At the time, Shokin was investigating Burisma Holdings, and at the time, Hunter had a highly lucrative role on the board receiving thousands of dollars per month. The then-vice president threatened to withhold $1 billion of critical U.S. aid if Shokin was not fired.

Biden allies maintain the then-vice president pushed for Shokin's firing due to concerns the Ukrainian prosecutor went easy on corruption, and say that his firing, at the time, was the policy position of the U.S. and international community.

The unclassified document is dated June 30, 2020, and says the contact with the source was "telephonic."

The source reported to the FBI that "in late 2015 or 2016, during the Obama/Biden Administration, CHS was first introduced to officials at Ukraine natural gas business Burisma Holdings through [redacted] Oleksandr Ostapenko." The form reflects that there is an additional FD-1023 detailing information brought by the source dated Jan. 2, 2018.

HOUSE GOP DEMAND TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEWS FROM HUNTER BIDEN PROSECUTOR, DOJ, IRS, SECRET SERVICE OFFICIALS

"CHS and Ostapenko traveled to Ukraine and went to Burisma’s office…the purpose of the meeting was to discuss Burisma’s interest in purchasing a US-based oil and gas business, for purposes of merging it with Burisma for purposes of conducting an IPO in the US," the form states. "Burisma was willing to purchase a US-based entity for $20-$30 million."

The form states that the CHS attended that meeting, as well as Burisma’s CFO Vadim Pojarski and Karina Zlochevsky, the daughter of CEO and founder Mykola Zlochevsky.

Fox News Digital has previously reported that Hunter Biden and his business associates had much contact with Pojarskii [Pozharsky] about his role on the board of the company.

"During the meeting Pojarskii asked CHS whether CHS was aware of Burisma’s Board of Directors. CHS replied ‘no,’ and Pojarski advised the board members included: 1) the former president or prime minister of Poland; and 2) Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.

"Pojarskii said Burisma hired the former president or prime minister of Poland to leverage his contacts in Europe for prospective oil and gas deals," the form states.

Burisma said they "hired Hunter Biden ‘to protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems.’"

The source asked why Burisma needed his assistance regarding the merger of the U.S.-based company when Biden was on their board, to which Pojarskii replied: "Hunter Biden was not smart, and they wanted to get additional counsel."

EXCLUSIVE: PERSON ALLEGING BIDEN CRIMINAL BRIBERY SCHEME IS 'HIGHLY CREDIBLE' FBI SOURCE USED SINCE OBAMA ADMIN: SOURCE

The form jumps to a meeting the source detailed that took place two months later. The source met with Mykola Zlochevsky in Vienna, Austria, outside a coffee shop, along with Ostapenko.

"CHS recalled this meeting took place around the time Joe Biden made a public statement about (former) Ukraine Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin being corrupt, and that he should be fired/removed from office," the form states. "CHS told Zlochevsky that due to Shokin’s investigation into Burisma, which was made public at this time, it would have a substantial negative impact on Burisma’s prospective IPO in the United States." 

"Zlochevsky replied something to the effect of, ‘Don’t worry Hunter will take care of those issues through his dad," the form states, adding that the source "did not ask any further questions about what that specifically meant." 

Zlochevsky went on to say, "Hunter Biden advised Burisma it could raise much more capital if Burisma purchased a larger US-based business that already had a history in the US oil and gas sector." The source said Zlochevsky mentioned a business in Texas.

"CHS advised Zlochevsky it would be problematic to raise capital in the US given Shokin’s investigation into Burisma as nobody in the US would invest in a company that was the subject of a criminal investigation," the form states.

DOJ KNEW HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP WAS 'NOT MANIPULATED,' CONTAINED 'RELIABLE EVIDENCE' IN 2019: WHISTLEBLOWER

"CHS suggested it would be best if Burisma simply litigate the matter in Ukraine, and pay some attorney $50,000," the form states, but Zlochevsky said Burisma "would likely lose the trial because he could not show that Burisma was innocent."

"Zlochevsky also laughed at CHS’s number of $50,000 (not because of the small amounts but because the number contained a ‘5’) and said that ‘it costs 5 (million) to pay one Biden, and 5 (million) to another Biden." 

"CHS noted that at this time, it was unclear to CHS whether these alleged payments were already made," the form states.

But the form states that the source told Zlochevsky that "any such payments to the Bidens would complicate matters, and Burisma should hire ‘some normal US oil and gas advisors’ because the Bidens have no experience with the business sector."

"Zlochevsky made some comment that although Hunter Biden ‘was stupid, and his [Zlochevsky’s] dog was smarter,’ Zlochevsky needed to keep Hunter Biden [on the board] ‘so everything will be okay,’" the form states.

The source went on to ask "whether Hunter Biden or Joe Biden told Zlochevsky he should retain Hunter."

"Zlochevsky replied: ‘They both did.’"

The source retired that this was a "mistake," and that Zlochevsky "should fire Hunter Biden and deal with Shokin’s investigation directly so that the matter" stayed an issue in Ukraine and so that it did not "turn into some international matter," to which Zlochevsky stressed not to worry and "this thing will go away anyway."

"CHS replied that, notwithstanding Shokin’s investigation, it was still a bad decision for Burisma to spend $20-30 million to buy a US business, and that CHS didn’t want to be involved with the Biden matter," the form states.

"Zlochevsky responded that he appreciated CHS’s advice, but that ‘it’s too late to change his decision.’"

"CHS understood this to mean that Zlochevsky had already paid the Bidens, presumably to ‘deal with Shokin,’" the form states.

"It is remarkable that congressional Republicans, in their eagerness to go after President Biden regardless of the truth, continue to push claims that have been debunked for years and that they themselves have cautioned to take ‘with a grain of salt’ because they could be ‘made up,’" said White House spokesman Ian Sams. "These claims have reportedly been scrutinized by the Trump Justice Department, a Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney, and a full impeachment trial of the former President that centered on these very issues, and over and over again, they have been found to lack credibility. It’s clear that congressional Republicans are dead-set on playing shameless, dishonest politics and refuse to let truth get in the way. It is well past time for news organizations to hold them to basic levels of factual accountability for their repeated and increasingly desperate efforts to mislead both the public and the press."

The FBI said in a statement that the release of the 1023 risked the safety of a confidential source:

"Throughout the FBI’s engagements with Congress, we have been guided by our obligation to protect the physical safety of confidential human sources and the integrity of sensitive investigations. We have repeatedly explained to Congress, in correspondence and in briefings, how critical it is to keep this source information confidential. In the face of these significant concerns, the FBI negotiated a resolution with Chairman Comer to provide the information requested in a manner that protects the safety of confidential sources and integrity of investigations."

Meanwhile, the form jumps to a "2016/2017 telephone call" the source had with Zlochevsky after the 2016 presidential election. Zlochevsky said he was "not happy Trump won the election."

"CHS asked Zlochevsky whether he was concerned about Burisma’s involvement with the Bidens," the form states. "Zlochevsky stated he didn't want to pay the Bidens and he was ‘pushed to pay’ them." 

The source explained to the FBI agent taking notes of his conversation that the Russian term Zlochevsky used to explain the payments was "poluchili." The form states that "literally translates to; 'got it’ or ‘received it’ but is also used in "Russian criminal slang for being ‘forced or coerced to pay.’"

HUNTER DEMANDED $10M FROM CHINESE ENERGY FIRM BECAUSE 'BIDENS ARE THE BEST,' HAVE 'CONNECTIONS'

At this point, Shokin had already been fired. Zlochevsky said "nobody would find out about his financial dealings with the Bidens."

"CHS then stated, ‘I hope you have some back-up (proof) for your words (namely, that Zlochevsky was ‘forced’ to pay the Bidens)."

"Zlochevsky replied he has many text messages and ‘recordings’ that show that he was coerced to make such payments," the form states. "CHS told Zlochevsky he should make certain that he should retain those recordings."

The form then jumps to a 2019 telephone call between the source and Ostapenko, in which they discussed "various business matters" unrelated to Burisma.

"During the call, Zlochevsky asked CHS and/or Ostapenko if they read the recent news reports about the investigations into the Bidens and Burisma, and Zlochevsky jokingly asked if the CHS was an ‘oracle’ (due to CHS’s prior advice that Zlochevsky should not pay the Bidens and instead to hire an attorney to litigate the allegations concerning Shokin’s investigation)," the form states.

"CHS mentioned Zlochevsky might have difficulty explaining suspicious wire transfers that may evidence any (illicit) payments to the Bidens," the form states. "Zlochevsky responded he did not send any funds directly to the ‘Big Guy’ (which CHS understood was a reference to Joe Biden)."

The form says CHS asked Zlochevsky how many companies and bank accounts he controlled, to which he responded it would "take them (investigators) 10 years to find the records (i.e. illicit payments to Joe Biden)."

While the source detailed the conversations with Zlochevsky, he also told the FBI that "it is very common for business men in post-Soviet countries to brag or show-off" and said it is "extremely common for businesses in Russia and Ukraine to make ‘bribe’ payments to various government officials."

As for recordings and text messages of conversations with the Bidens, the source said that Zlochevsky said he had "a total of 17 recordings" involving the Bidens; "two of the recordings included Joe Biden, and the remaining 15 recordings only included Hunter Biden."

The source said those recordings "evidence Zlochevsky was somehow coerced into paying the Bidens to ensure" Shokin was fired.

The source said Zlochevsky also had "two documents (which CHS understood to be wire transfer statements, bank records, etc.), that evidence some payment(s) to the Bidens were made, presumably in exchange for Shokin’s firing." 

"For the better part of a year, I’ve been pushing the Justice Department and FBI to provide details on its handling of very significant allegations from a trusted FBI informant implicating then-Vice President Biden in a criminal bribery scheme," Grassley said. "While the FBI sought to obfuscate and redact, the American people can now read this document for themselves, without the filter of politicians or bureaucrats, thanks to brave and heroic whistleblowers. What did the Justice Department and FBI do with the detailed information in the document? And why have they tried to conceal it from Congress and the American people for so long?"

Grassley added: "The Justice Department and FBI have failed to come clean, but Chairman Comer and I intend to find out." 

Comer subpoenaed the FBI to turn over the unredacted document to Congress. The FBI did not comply, but instead, made accommodations to allow lawmakers to review the document in a secure setting last month. 

"The FBI’s Biden Bribery Record tracks closely with the evidence uncovered by the Oversight Committee’s Biden family influence peddling investigation," House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer said. "In the FBI’s record, the Burisma executive claims that he didn’t pay the ‘big guy’ directly but that he used several bank accounts to conceal the money. That sounds an awful lot like how the Bidens conduct business: using multiple bank accounts to hide the source and total amount of the money." 

Comer added: "At our hearing with IRS whistleblowers, they testified that they had never seen or heard of this record during the Biden criminal investigation, despite having potentially corroborating evidence. Given the misconduct and politicization at the Department of Justice, the American people must be able to read this record for themselves. I thank Senator Grassley for providing much needed transparency to the American people."