Remember back to the days of Rudy Giuliani going to Ukraine as Donald Trump’s errand boy to find dirt on Joe Biden? And Gordon Sondland was the Ambassador to the EU and he made this classic statement, “Every time Rudy gets involved he goes and fucks everything up?” Well, evidently your memory is better than James Comer’s, he who heads the Oversight Committee in the House, and who is insistent that the FBI possesses incriminating evidence on Joe Biden.
Here’s what has been uncovered. If Comer is dumb enough to have gone along with anything where the trail of breadcrumbs goes back to Rudy, then no wonder he has been falling so resoundingly on his a$$ in his quest to incriminate Joe Biden.
Comer had subpoenaed the doc & threatened Wray with contempt of Congress proceedings if he didn’t provide it.
Comer told Wray during today’s call the accommodation may not be sufficient to stop contempt proceedings, the sources said.
w/ @SaraMurray, @alaynatreene & @evanperez
— Zachary Cohen (@ZcohenCNN) May 31, 2023
CNN is reporting that the document that Comer is requesting Wray provide “has origins in a tranche of documents that Rudy Giuliani provided to the Justice Department in 2020, people briefed on the matter said.” That fact would make anybody normal tremble, it certainly did Bill Barr. But Comer pushes forth, unafraid.
The allegations of wrongdoing by the then-vice president, many originating from sources in Ukraine, were dubious enough that Attorney General William Barr in early 2020 directed that they be reviewed by a US attorney in Pittsburgh, in part because Barr was concerned that Giuliani’s document tranche could taint the ongoing Hunter Biden investigation overseen by the Delaware US attorney.
Barr told reporters at the time why he was being cautious: “We can’t take anything we received from Ukraine at face value.”
Former Pittsburgh US Attorney Scott Brady oversaw the FBI investigation of the Giuliani claims. The 1023 document being demanded by Comer is among the products of that investigation.
Now here’s the interesting point.
While the 1023 form documents the claims from the informant, it doesn’t provide proof that they are true, people briefed on the matter said. The FBI and prosecutors who reviewed the information couldn’t corroborate the claims.
Comer doesn’t care if the claims are true. He only cares if somebody made a claim and if that claim, true or not, made its way to the FBI. Comer wants to take hearsay, which is what this claim is, until proven, and make it into propaganda. Sounds right on point, doesn’t it?
Comer had subpoenaed the document and threatened Wray with contempt of Congress proceedings if Wray did not provide it. According to his statement, Comer told Wray during a telephone call Wednesday afternoon that the accommodation may not be sufficient to stop contempt proceedings.
“While Director Wray – after a month of refusing to even acknowledge that the form existed – has offered to allow us to see the documents in person at FBI headquarters, we have been clear that anything short of producing these documents to the House Oversight Committee is not in compliance with the subpoena,” Comer said.
“If the FBI fails to hand over the FD-1023 form as required by the subpoena, the House Oversight Committee will begin contempt of Congress proceedings,” he added.
Additionally, there are national security issues involved. Wray will not want to compromise any source he may have in order to bow down to Jim Comer. Wray has said that he’s willing to allow Oversight Committee members to examine the document “in a format and setting that maintains confidentiality and protects important security interests and the integrity of FBI investigations.” Otherwise, Comer can go pound sand.
One almost wishes J Edgar were still around. I can just imagine that, in the next day or so, we’d be getting a statement from Comer saying “The Oversight Committee has decided to accept Mr Wray’s invitation to view the document under secure conditions” because Hoover had just threatened Comer with his own little document dump.
Gotta,wonder if Jedgar’s ( channelling my inner Ernest one the Phone Operator played NY Lily Tomlin) transvestitism and testimony so class old constitute a,drag queen story hour? Because it would be a fairy tale with no relationship with reality.
Ernestine,the telephone operator from.Laughlin portrayed by Lily Tomlin.
Excuse me. Moved from.MA to.PA last week and fell down two steps to the driveway and banged my chin and knee and arm and am.praying it doesn’t make my back worse.
Rudy’s the source? This is material one would expect to see at The Onion website! Really. Just the headline made me say WHAT THE F**K out loud!
Biden should give Wray a little call and let him know that if he doesn’t hold a news conference and explain that a FD-1023 simply reflects what Rudy said with no evidence and that Rudy is under investigation for ‘take your pick’ he can hit the bricks. He should have been dumped and all other Trump trash in the FBI for his non-handling of J6. Barney Fife would make a better FBI director.
That’s Garland’s job. Or Jack Smith’s.
I remember an interview where the co-conspirator of the big lie admitted he had no evidence just suspicion/opinions. Mayor of Idiot town. Comer needs to return to earth in order to fulfill his oath of office.
Let’s see now, a guy who has brown sh*t dripping down his face, has a penchant for marrying family members, thinks The Four Seasons landscaping company is where you hold pressers, oh f**k there are so damned many things, Comer thinks this should be a “witness”. Is he aware the idiot is fixing to be disbarred (may have happened) for his copious amount of lies and frivolous lawsuits about the 2020 election? I suppose the better question is does Comer have his head up his a$$. Obvious answer is yep, he likes the view.
Comer can issue all of the contempt charges he wants.
Not worth the paper they’re printed on unless and until the DOJ gets involved.
Just ask Jim “Jacket-off” Jordan.