Top Democrat Dismisses Biden Bribery Investigation as Politically Motivated.

“What they’re really interested in is holding the FBI director in contempt, not in getting a document that [Republicans] say they’ve already seen.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, has dismissed Republicans’ ongoing investigation into bribery charges against President Joe Biden, which he said is politically motivated.

In an escalating confrontation with the FBI, Republicans on the Oversight Committee led by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) have demanded access to a document alleging that Biden took a criminal bribe from a foreign national. However, the specific charges listed in the document remain unclear due to the FBI’s apparent reluctance to release the document publicly.

During a June 4 appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” program, Raskin expressed skepticism about Republicans’ true intentions in the investigation.

Accusations and Skepticism

Raskin accused the majority of “closing out” Democrats and said he’s uncertain about the contents of the document because of this. Nevertheless, Raskin said his understanding of the document’s content stems from public reporting, which suggests a connection to Hunter Biden’s business activities in Ukraine.

Raskin cited skepticism expressed by former Attorney General Bill Barr towards these allegations and opined that Republicans are now “going back to recycle these unfounded accusations,” which he dismissed as “allegations that went nowhere.”

Raskin also accused Comer of admitting that these investigations aim to improve Trump’s poll numbers—an assertion echoed by the White House—despite Comer not explicitly stating that as the reason for the investigations.

“They keep changing the demand in order to … find fault with FBI Director Wray,” Raskin said. “Which is why what I say, what they’re really going after is a contempt citation against him, and it’s all part of what Chairman Comer admitted was an effort to get Donald Trump’s poll numbers up.”

FBI’s Response

The FBI has faced accusations of withholding the document to protect Biden, with some Republicans accusing the agency of politicizing the matter.

The FBI responded by stating its commitment to cooperate in good faith, saying it has made extraordinary accommodations made to meet Comer’s request while maintaining confidentiality and protecting national security interests.

“In a letter to Chairman Comer earlier today, the FBI committed to providing access to information responsive to the Committee’s subpoena in a format and setting that maintains confidentiality and protects important security interests and the integrity of FBI investigations,” a spokesperson said.

Conclusion

Despite Republicans’ demands, Raskin believes that their true intentions are to hold the FBI director in contempt, rather than to obtain the document they claim to have already seen. With accusations and skepticism on both sides, the investigation into bribery charges against President Biden remains a politically charged issue.