Speaker of the House threatens FBI Director with new subpoena.

“If they do not comply and allow every person on oversight, Republican or Democrat—that’s their responsibility to the members of Congress—to see this document, I will move contempt charges against the director.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has threatened FBI Director Christopher Wray with contempt charges if he fails to provide a document that alleges a bribery scheme between President Joe Biden and a foreign national to the House Oversight Committee. McCarthy believes that it is their responsibility to oversee the FBI and that they have the right to look at the document, regardless of political affiliation.

According to House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), the FBI director is scheduled to brief him on Monday about the document. However, McCarthy says that this development only occurred because of the threat of contempt charges.

Last month, the FBI refused to provide the document to members of Congress by a deadline that Comer had set. The bureau said that there were concerns about the confidentiality of informants and the fact that some tips were not verified.

Republicans’ Longstanding Investigation

Over the years, Republicans have attempted to obtain information on Biden’s and his family’s overseas business dealings, asserting that they may pose ethical and legal problems for the president. In late 2020, the New York Post revealed the existence of a now-infamous laptop that was previously owned by his son Hunter Biden that contained messages and emails about business deals with a Chinese state-linked entity.

Democrats have argued that Comer’s claims are politically motivated. However, in a May 3 letter, Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) revealed they received “highly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures” that the agency had a record that “describes an alleged criminal scheme involving then-vice president Joe Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions.”

What’s Next?

It remains to be seen whether Wray will comply with the subpoena and provide the document to the House Oversight Committee. The FBI has stated that they remain committed to cooperating with Congress’s oversight requests on this matter and others as they always have.