House Oversight Committee ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) asked the FBI to put their briefing to members of the committee into writing to debunk false Republican statements about the bribery allegation.
It is deeply concerning that recent public statements are plainly inconsistent with statements made by the FBI in the June 5, 2023, briefing. The statements made by the FBI are critical to fully assess the credibility and validity of the double hearsay allegations set forth in the Form FD-1023. I request that no later than Friday, June 23, 2023, the FBI reiterate in writing the non-classified information provided to the Chairman and me in the June 5, 2023, briefing.
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During the briefing, senior FBI officials answered questions for more than an hour and provided crucial context to understand the Form FD-1023 and the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). In particular, in the briefing, the FBI explained that this form was created as part of an assessment, which Attorney General Barr assigned to Scott Brady, the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, to examine allegations made by Rudy Giuliani. In August 2020, after eight months of investigative efforts, Mr. Brady’s team found insufficient evidence to warrant escalating this assessment to a preliminary or full investigation, and it was closed with the concurrence of Mr. Brady and high-level DOJ officials. I appreciate that the FBI accommodated the Committee’s request and made the form available to all Members of the Committee. However, I believe our Members would also benefit from the additional, non-classified information provided in the briefing and request that the FBI reiterate this information in writing.
Raskin wants the non-classified parts of the briefing in writing to stop the endless stream of baseless claims and nonsense that Chair James Comer (R-KY) and other Republicans on the committee continue to push as facts. On Thursday, Comer complained that the media isn’t covering his retread Russia disinformation disguised as a political scandal. The press and the people aren’t being fooled, so desperation is increasing among House Republicans.
Donald Trump is currently facing 71 federal and local felony counts, and time is running out on the House GOP to find a scandal that will help Trump next November.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
