The House Oversight Committee’s leading Democrat is calling on the FBI to disclose its assessment of a bribery allegation made against President Joe Biden.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) has requested that the FBI publicly share its analysis of a tip received in 2020, claiming that a foreign national had paid Biden $5 million when he was vice president.
While the Justice Department has remained silent on the matter, Republicans have seized on the rumor, alleging that Biden is involved in a corrupt scheme and that the FBI has protected him at the expense of former President Donald Trump.
Last week, Raskin and House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) were privately briefed by FBI officials. However, the lawmakers have provided contradicting accounts of the briefing, with Comer suggesting that the allegation “has not been disproven” and that the president is still “under investigation for bribery.”
Raskin expressed concern over the inconsistencies in public statements compared to what was presented in the June 5, 2023 briefing, stating in his letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray that “It is deeply concerning that recent public statements are plainly inconsistent with statements made by the FBI.”
This derogatory material was initially brought to the attention of the Justice Department by former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, who claimed that the foreign national involved was Mykola Zlochevksy, co-founder of Ukrainian energy company Burisma. U.S. Attorney General William Barr assigned Scott Brady to assess the material, but it was ultimately determined to be unworthy of a full investigation.
Raskin explained, “The FBI explained that the assessment was closed because Mr. Brady’s team found insufficient evidence to warrant escalating their probe.” Barr has stated that the Pittsburgh office did not have the authority to open an investigation and that the material was passed on to Delaware prosecutors who are considering tax-evasion charges against Hunter Biden.
In his letter, Raskin requested that the FBI provide written confirmation of the information shared with him and Comer by the end of the following week. This marks a role reversal, as Republicans have previously demanded the release of the FBI’s tip sheet and transparency regarding their investigative efforts.
It is worth noting that the source’s identity has been redacted, but Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), an Oversight Committee member, suggested that lawmakers were able to deduce the identity themselves based on the redacted information.
Zlochevsky, who faces embezzlement charges in Ukraine, is currently evading authorities and his whereabouts are unknown.
Barr previously expressed skepticism towards material from Ukraine, stating, “There are a lot of agendas in Ukraine. And we can’t take anything we received from Ukraine at face value.”
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