House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) threatened to bring contempt charges against FBI Director Christopher Wray if he fails to furnish a key document Tuesday.
Republicans led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) have long pursued a document they believe details information about an alleged exchange of money between President Joe Biden and a foreign national. Comer subpoenaed Wray roughly a month ago for the file and gave him until Tuesday as a deadline.
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"If he misses the deadline today, I am prepared to move contempt charges in Congress against him. We have jurisdiction over this. He can send us that document. We have the right to look at that," McCarthy told Fox and Friends.
Comer has also threatened contempt proceedings if Wray fails to produce the file. In response to the subpoena, the FBI delivered a letter outlining background information on the situation and cited concerns that there were “programmatic issues related to confidential human source reporting,” according to Comer.
“Releasing confidential source information could potentially jeopardize investigations and put lives at risk. The FBI remains committed to cooperating with Congress’s oversight requests on this matter and others as we always have," the FBI said.
McCarthy, who had a phone call with Wray on May 19, said the bureau could redact portions of the document.
"I told them he can redact certain parts of that, names and others, so we wouldn't know methods. But we have a right to see it. He does not have the right to choose what he can and cannot show us," McCarthy insisted.
The Washington Examiner contacted an FBI spokesperson for comment.
Specifics of the alleged bribery scheme remain murky, but it is believed to have transpired during Biden's time as vice president.
The GOP was tipped off to the existence of the FD-1023 form by a whistleblower who alleged an informant flagged those concerns, according to Republicans. Comer has publicly admitted that so far, his panel "can't track down the informant," making the file critical to the panel's inquiry into the matter.
Comer has long accused the Biden family of engaging in influence-peddling schemes abroad. White House Counsel's Office spokesman Ian Sams has previously countered that Comer has consistently "been promising then failing to deliver" a smoking gun against Biden.
Earlier this month, Comer unveiled a report featuring allegations that nine Biden family members accrued money from foreign countries such as China and Romania. More specifically, he alleged that the Biden family and their associates received over "$10 million" from companies belonging to foreign nationals, including while Joe Biden served as vice president.
Critics, such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), have pointed out that Comer's report lacked direct proof of the president engaging in illegal activity.
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Republicans in the House have previously dangled contempt power to get the Biden administration to comply with subpoenas. For instance, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) threatened it when he filed a subpoena for a cable in which officials flagged concerns about the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan.
McCaul and the ranking member were later granted access to the file, but rank-and-file members of the committee have not yet been able to see it.