When Will Wray Give Some Straight Answers?

FBI Director Christopher Wray testified today before the House Judiciary Committee. Most of the hearing was partisan with Republicans attacking Wray’s weaponization of the FBI and Democrats praising him. Most conservative news sources noted that Wray had a difficult day before Congress. Fred Lucas at The Daily Signal shared the following six highlights from the hearing. 

1. ‘Protecting the Bidens’

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., read a 2017 text from President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, in which he tells a Chinese business partner that he is sitting beside his father and expects a big payment immediately from that partner. (The senior Biden had just completed eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president following 36 years in the Senate representing Delaware.) “Sounds lie a shakedown, doesn’t it, Director?” Gaetz asked Wray.

Wray responded: “I’m not going to get into commenting on that.” …

2. ‘One or More’ FBI Assets at Capitol Riot?

Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., scoffed at the notion that the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot that occurred Jan. 6, 2021, naming former Fox News host Tucker Carlson as the source of the theory.

Wray responded: “I would say that this notion that the violence on Jan. 6 was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources and agents is ludicrous and is a disservice to our brave, hardworking, dedicated men and women.”

Shortly after that, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. Said that he’s ready to move beyond the events of that day, but Democrats aren’t. So Issa had one follow-up question that Wray couldn’t answer.

Issa asked whether “one or more” individuals associated with the FBI were in the crowd or in the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Wray referred to an unspecified court filing that he didn’t want to contradict.

“I just want an answer,” Issa said. “Was there one or more? You would know if there was at least one individual who worked for the FBI who entered the Capitol on that day.”

Wray answered: “Again, I just can’t speak to that here. But I will be happy to get the court filing.”

Issa noted to the FBI director that it has been more than two years since the Capitol riot:

I ask you simply was there one or more. And you won’t answer that. So I’m going to make the assumption that there was more than one, more than five, more than 10. And that you are ducking the question because you don’t want to answer for the fact that you had at least one and somehow ‘are’ misunderstanding that some of the individuals were very dangerous and that there were others inciting individuals to enter the Capitol after others broke windows.

Later in the hearing, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., posed a similar question to Wray.

“How many agents or human resources were present in the Capitol complex or vicinity on Jan. 6?” Biggs asked….

3. Millions Spent on Steele Dossier, Hunter Biden Laptop

Later in the hearing, Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., asked Wray about the FBI’s approach to the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns.

“Why would the FBI offer Christopher Steele $1 million to verify a dossier about Trump-Russia collusion and then the same FBI offer $3 million to Twitter to squash the story on the Hunter Biden laptop?” Moore asked.

“You raise a number of different issues,” Wray replied, before referring to special counsel John Durham’s report on the origins of the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation.

“The Steele dossier is treated at great length in the Durham report and again, predates my time as director.”

Moore pressed: “It was the same agency paying $1 million to push one story out or try to corroborate one story, and $3 million to quieten another story for a political opponent.”

Wray said such FBI payments to companies are normal….

Hunter Biden’s laptop, which congressional Republicans and others argue contains evidence of influence peddling in foreign nations, has been in the FBI’s possession since 2019.

4. Arresting a Pro-Lifer at Gunpoint

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, asked about a September incident when 20 armed FBI agents went to the home of pro-life activist Mark Houck in Pennsylvania.

“This was after Mr. Houck’s lawyer reached out and said he would voluntarily appear because the incident in question occurred almost a year earlier, in October of 2021,” Roy told Wray….

5. ‘Radical Traditional Catholics’

Wray avoided questions about the FBI’s targeting of Roman Catholics by referring to a forthcoming “internal review.” ….

6. ‘Commercial Sources’

Although committee Democrats mostly sided with Wray, two unsuccessfully pressed the FBI director for information about how the bureau is making end runs around warrants to obtain information on American citizens. They got some backup from Republican colleagues.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif, asked: “Is the FBI purchasing location data from commercial sources without a warrant?”

Wray ducked the question….