Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray told House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) during a hearing on Tuesday that the FBI is investigating President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. He declined to say whether he was working on a counterintelligence investigation.
During the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence’s annual threat assessment hearing, Stefanik pressed Wray on the issue. She began by highlighting that former FBI Director James Comey “testified that he did not follow proper procedures in notifying Congress of the initiation of Crossfire Hurricane,” the 2016 counterintelligence investigation into Trump. did.
🚨Must see🚨
in front of @House Intel James Comey testified that he did not follow proper procedures in notifying Congress about the launch of Crossfire Hurricane, the 2016 counterintelligence investigation into President Trump. To deal with this illegal activity… pic.twitter.com/XB9zIk8IcZ
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) March 12, 2024
The third-ranking Republican in the House also said that under the Intelligence Authorization Act, the FBI must “notify Congressional leadership of any counterintelligence investigation into a presidential candidate” before asking questions about a potential counterintelligence investigation against Trump or Biden. They have been instructed to do so.”
After a long silence, Mr. Wray tried to refer Mr. Stefanik to Special Counsel Robert Hur, but Mr. Stefanik demanded answers, citing the IAA.
“There’s no research that I can confirm here, no,” he said, which seemed to alarm Stefanik, who followed with a laugh:
Stefanik: Is there a counterintelligence investigation?
Ray: Again, I do not confirm that I have done any research on either candidate.
Stefanik: Did you know that you are required by the IAA to notify Congress of counterintelligence investigations?
Ray: And we abide by the law.
Stefanik: Are you already compliant with the law? Have you been notified?
Ray: We believe in complying with the law.
Stefanik: Do you believe that Congress has been or has been notified of a counterintelligence investigation into a federal candidate?
Ray: We believe in complying with the law.
Asked whether a “counterintelligence evaluation” had been conducted on either, the secretary said, “I am not in a position to confirm, and especially when it comes to counterintelligence matters, there is no public hearing evaluation.” The putative candidate or someone in his or her immediate family.
Stefanik asked Wray if he would confirm whether there was a counterintelligence investigation into Trump or Biden during a “classified hearing later today,” prompting Wray to respond, “We will abide by the law.”
During the nearly seven-minute exchange, Stefanik also said: grilled Ask for your thoughts on Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on the Biden secrets investigation, the Mar-a-Lago raid, and whether federal campaign activities using TikTok accounts are a national security risk.
