Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., conducts the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are demanding the Justice Department turn over a 2020 document they claim alleges a "criminal scheme" involving then-Vice President Joe Biden.
Why it matters: Comer has made investigating the Biden family a priority of his committee this year — building on similar investigations Grassley has led over the past couple years. This is the most direct allegation against President Biden himself.
- Comer is subpoenaing an FBI form, called an FD-1023, that was created in June 2020. An FD-1023 simply documents an interview with a source, and does not in itself indicate any suspicions of wrongdoing.
- The lawmakers say whistleblower disclosures indicate DOJ has such a form that "describes an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions," according to a Wednesday letter to the agency.
- Comer's subpoena demands documents be provided by May 10th.
What they're saying: “We believe the FBI possesses an unclassified internal document that includes very serious and detailed allegations implicating the current President of the United States," Grassley said in a statement.
- "The FBI’s recent history of botching politically charged investigations demands close congressional oversight,” he added.
- The Justice Department declined to comment.
- "For going on 5 years now, Republicans in Congress have been lobbing unfounded politically-motivated attacks against [Biden] without offering evidence for their claims," White House spokesperson Ian Sams tweeted.
What to watch: Comer has already been teasing a press conference early this month where he intends to discuss the committee's findings so far in their investigation into "influence peddling" by Biden family members.
- His committee already has been granted access to thousands of pages of bank suspicious activity reports (SARs) by the Treasury Department.
- Comer has frequently pointed to documents showing Biden family members receiving more than $1 million originating from a Chinese company.
- Democrats have already raised questions about the sources and whistleblowers referenced by Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).