House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley on Wednesday fumed as the FBI failed to meet a subpoena deadline to provide congressional investigators with a form that allegedly details a bribery scheme between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national.
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The FBI, however, did not honor the subpoena by the deadline. Instead, acting Assistant Director of the bureau's Office of Congressional Affairs Christopher Dunham wrote to Comer on Wednesday, informing him that the bureau had to be mindful of "executive branch confidentiality interests and law enforcement responsibilities."
In the letter, which the New York Post obtained, Dunham informed Comer that "The FBI appreciates this opportunity to inform you of our confidentiality interests so that we can 'seek optimal accommodation through a realistic evaluation of' each other's needs and 'avoid the polarization of disputes.'"
"We are committed to working together through this process," he assured the Kentucky Republican.
Both Comer and Grassley deemed the response unsatisfactory.
"It's clear from the FBI's response that the unclassified record the Oversight Committee subpoenaed exists, but they are refusing to provide it to the Committee," Comer insisted. "We've asked the FBI to not only provide this record, but to also inform us what it did to investigate these allegations."
"The FBI has failed to do both. The FBI's position is 'trust, but you aren't allowed to verify.' That is unacceptable. We plan to follow up with the FBI and expect compliance with the subpoena," he declared.