Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to stop leaking false narratives and obstructing congressional oversight regarding the agency’s handling of allegations against President Joe Biden. Grassley criticized the FBI and the Department of Justice for their history of deception, including the Russia-collusion hoax. Grassley accused Wray of making excuses and refusing to produce a document detailing bribery allegations against Biden until Grassley revealed that he had already seen a copy. Multiple FBI whistleblowers had disclosed the existence of the explosive allegation, which involved a Ukrainian energy company seeking to pay Biden $5 million in exchange for a policy decision during his time as Ukrainian point man for the Obama administration.
Grassley particularly condemned the FBI’s practice of leaking false narratives to friendly media outlets instead of complying with constitutional oversight requests. He pointed out that the FBI has a history of leaking classified information to the media and producing documents to shape public opinion. Rather than fulfilling congressional requests, the FBI and its associates resorted to leaking information to Democratic media outlets, even those who had previously spread the false Russia-collusion narrative. Grassley referenced a New York Times article by Adam Goldman that appeared to be sourced from the FBI, attempting to discredit FBI agents who opposed the political handling of sensitive investigations.
Grassley highlighted the leaks by CNN’s Evan Perez, who helped push the FBI’s spin on the document in question. Perez, along with other reporters, was used to mislead investigators by suggesting that the document was related to allegations provided by Rudy Giuliani, even though it was unrelated. Grassley criticized Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, for further spreading the false narrative after receiving a briefing from the FBI. Grassley emphasized that the investigation of the allegation was not closed, as falsely claimed by Raskin, and that it had been sent to the Delaware U.S. attorney for further examination, as confirmed by Attorney General Bill Barr.
The Washington Post, which was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for its role in promoting the Russia-collusion narrative, was also criticized for participating in the FBI’s information operation. Devlin Barrett, one of the reporters who shared the Pulitzer, reportedly spent time with Wray, furthering the cover-up of the dispute with Congress. Grassley and Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, who is overseeing efforts to obtain information from the FBI, expressed frustration with the mixture of unsubstantiated insinuations and refusal to answer questions about the documented allegation. Grassley likened the situation to a Kafkaesque scenario and stressed that he and Comer would not simply trust the FBI’s claims without evidence.
Grassley concluded by urging Republicans to be vigilant and demand full compliance with congressional oversight, refusing to accept misleading leaks from the FBI. He emphasized that the patience of Grassley and Comer had run out, given the FBI’s history of deception and the need for transparency and accountability.
