Last month, this column exhorted House Republicans to employ their investigative power to demand answers from the Biden administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the apparent corruption of former senior FBI official Charles McGonigal. This murky affair looks like one of the biggest scandals in the bureau’s history. As I noted:

"The only hope for the truth to come out is for Congress to take an interest in McGonigal’s dirty Balkan deals. Although some House Republicans have quietly asked questions about this affair, there are so many current House investigations into Biden-related scandals that the McGonigal affair gets lost in the maze of corruption inquiries. That’s unfortunate because the full account of McGonigal’s Albanian antics is a shocking story that would rock Washington far beyond just the FBI."

Finally, there’s progress.

Yesterday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a pointed letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray demanding answers regarding the embarrassing McGonigal affair — answers which the FBI and the Justice Department have refused to provide to Congress. Jordan reminded Wray that he had previously sent him a letter on Feb. 2 of this year requesting "documents and information" pertaining to the federal corruption and money laundering charges against McGonigal, the former head of counterintelligence in the FBI's New York Field Office.

Last month, McGonigal came to a plea agreement with the Justice Department in New York, relating to the Russian angle to his corruption case, yet Jordan’s committee still has no answers. Jordan's new letter states, accurately: "In addition to the ongoing case in New York, McGonigal also faces separate charges in Washington, D.C., for 'concealing his relationship with a former employee of an Albanian intelligence agency.' While the payment McGonigal received from the former Albanian official is considerably larger than what he received from Deripaska — over $225,000 — McGonigal is reportedly working to reach a similar plea deal with federal prosecutors in Washington."

Although the media has focused on the more clickbait-worthy Russian aspect of this scandal, its ugly Albanian shenanigans, with reports of payoffs and intimidation involving a NATO ally, represent the bigger criminal concern (as I've reported several times in recent months). That's perhaps why Jordan's committee is demanding answers before the Justice Department reaches another plea deal to make McGonigal’s Balkan scandal go away.

Jordan didn’t mince words yesterday, putting Wray on notice: "Please provide the requested information and arrange for this briefing to occur as soon as possible, but no later than Oct. 3, 2023." He added, "If you refuse to voluntarily produce the requested documents and information, the Committee may be forced to consider the use of compulsory process.”

Hand over the goods or face subpoenas, in other words. If Wray doesn’t provide answers to the House over the next few weeks, expect this issue to become regular front-page news. The public has the right to know how and why a top U.S. intelligence and law enforcement official became the apparent partner-in-crime of a foreign government, allegedly intervening in Albania’s internal politics for lots of cash.

Unraveling the McGonigal affair will reveal unpleasant aspects of the FBI’s inner workings. Above all, did the corrupt G-Man act alone when he went rogue, or did he, per rumors in spy circles, have helpers? The FBI needs to explain this sordid mess, one way or the other.

The congressional clock’s ticking.

John R. Schindler served with the National Security Agency as a senior intelligence analyst and counterintelligence officer.