Jamie Raskin asks FBI to publicly state Biden bribery allegations are not part of investigation
Battle in Congress over Biden ‘bribery claim’: Top Democrat says FBI opened and closed investigation as part of Rudy Giuliani Burisma investigation – while top Republican claim case has NEVER been closed – so who is telling the truth?
- Raskin said the FBI informed him they were investigating the findings of the FD-1023 form, but decided there was not enough evidence and stopped their investigation
- “At no point during the briefing did the FBI state or suggest that “Joe Biden is currently under investigation for bribery,” Raskin’s letter read.
- Comer said the FD-1023 was not “closed,” but forwarded to the U.S. attorney in Delaware “for further investigation”
Rep. Jamie Raskin, top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, wrote to the FBI on Friday urging them to clarify that Joe Biden is not under investigation for bribery and that the agency is no longer investigating the subpoenaed FD-1023 form.
The form documents a conversation with an FBI informant who made detailed claims about a $5 million “arrangement” for an exchange of money for policy decisions between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreigner. Hunter Biden was part of the scheme and reportedly collected $5 million as well.
Raskin, who reviewed the unclassified form with oversight chairman James Comer and participated in a closed-door briefing on the matter, said senior FBI officials told him they had investigated the findings of the FD-1023 form, but decided that there was a lack of sufficient evidence to prove the claims and discontinued their investigation.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, wrote to the FBI on Friday urging them to clarify that Joe Biden is not under investigation for bribery and that the agency is no longer investigating the subpoenaed FD-1023 form
Oversight Chair James Comer emphasized that the information in the FD-1023 did not come from Giuliani and that the form is part of an active investigation
Raskin now wants the FBI to set the record straight, as the senior member and chairman of the powerful commission is mired in a “he said, he said” situation.
“At no point during the briefing did the FBI state or suggest that “Joe Biden is currently under investigation for bribery,” Raskin’s letter read.
“I appreciate that the FBI granted 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 nonclassified information provided in the briefing and request that the FBI reiterate this information in writing,” Raskin wrote.
The FBI kept a close eye on the unclassified FD-1023 — refusing to let Oversight members view it until they threatened to detain FBI Director Chris Wray in contempt of Congress.
Raskin said that at its June 5 meeting, the FBI confirmed that former Attorney General Bill Barr assigned the case to Scott Brady, then U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh, to investigate Rudy Giuliani’s allegations that President Biden and Hunter Biden were involved in a corruption case. arrangement with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma.
Raskin said that at the June 5 meeting, the FBI confirmed that former Attorney General Bill Barr assigned the case to Scott Brady, then U.S. Attorney in Pittsburgh, to investigate Rudy Giuliani’s allegations that President Biden and Hunter Biden were involved in a corruption case. arrangement with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma
According to Raskin, as part of its investigation into Giuliani’s claims, Brady’s team interviewed a confidential human source (CHS) – the source who provided the claims in the FD-1023. Raskin said the FBI explained that much of the information provided by the CHS had already been provided by Giuliani.
Trump sent Giuliani to Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens as president. Giuliani has long claimed that the Bidens were involved in corrupt payouts from Burisma.
In August 2020, eight months after Brady’s team opened an investigation into Biden’s corruption claims, the investigation was closed due to “insufficient evidence to warrant escalation,” according to Raskin’s retelling.
Oversight Chair James Comer stressed that the information in the FD-1023 did not come from Giuliani and that the form is part of an active investigation.
No matter how many times Ranking Member Raskin repeats the lie, it’s still a lie. The information on the FBI’s FD-1023 form did not come from Rudy Giuliani,” Comer said Friday.
Comer said the FD-1023 was not “closed,” but forwarded to the U.S. Attorney in Delaware “for further investigation.” Hunter Biden’s tax affairs are currently under investigation by that agency.
Comer said FBI Director Christopher Wray told him and Senator Chuck Grassley that the form is “related to an ongoing investigation.”
Comer pointed to Attorney General Bill Barr’s claims that the case was not closed last week.
‘It’s not true. It wasn’t closed,” Barr told the Federalist. “On the contrary, it has been sent to Delaware for further investigation.”
The FBI has not allowed the general public to view the claims in the 1023 document — and redacted claims that the source made about 17 audio recordings between the Bidens and the Burisma executive proving the corruption exists .
Grassley claimed with the bombshell that the foreigner who allegedly paid Biden the bribe kept the audio recordings as “insurance.” No one in Congress has actually heard the audio recordings, and it’s not clear if they actually exist.
Republicans have stepped up their investigation into the Biden family’s dealings in light of charges against former President Trump for his handling of classified documents.