FBI Director Christopher Wray testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday, where he fielded pointed questions about the politicization and weaponization of the agency from GOP lawmakers, while many Democrats came to his defense.
Instead of focusing on specific investigations that are captured in headlines, including those surrounding former President Donald Trump and Hunter Biden, President Joe Biden’s son, Wray diverted attention to the wide breadth of work the FBI — and its 38,000 employees — engage in to protect American citizens.
“Take violent crime. Last year alone, working shoulder to shoulder with our partners and the state and local law enforcement, the FBI arrested more than 20,000 violent criminals and child predators. That’s an average of almost 60 bad guys taken off the streets per day every day,” he said in his oral testimony.
He also mentioned ongoing investigations into drug trafficking at the Southwest border and the Chinese government's interference as other examples of the work the FBI does.
GOP lawmaker accuses FBI of creating a ‘two-tiered system of justice’
This is Wray’s first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee since Republicans gained control of the chamber.
He tackled questions — and accusations — about the agency suppressing information on social media, categorizing pro-life Catholics as “extremists,” retaliating against whistleblowers, and deploying domestic surveillance programs while scrutinizing conservatives, as committee chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said in his opening statement.
“In a survey last fall, four out of five Americans said they believe there’s a two-tiered system of justice in America today,” Jordan said. “They said that because there is. They said that because of what they’ve witnessed.”
Jordan cited the Western District of Louisiana court’s preliminary injunction ruling released on July 4, which found that the government agency used its power to silence the “opposition.”
“Opposition to COVID-19 vaccines; opposition to COVID-19 masking and lockdowns; opposition to the lab-leak theory of COVID-19; opposition to the validity of the 2020 election; opposition to President Biden’s policies; statements that the Hunter Biden laptop story was true; and opposition to policies of the government officials in power,” the court document surrounding the adherence of free speech stated. “All were suppressed.”
Jordan said he wants to hold back money from the FBI for its new headquarters in Washington, D.C., and block reauthorization for foreign surveillance, which the FBI allegedly used to conduct improper searches of Americans.
Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana focused his questions on the same court ruling.
“(The FBI) did it under the guise of disinformation,” he said, and asked Wray to define “disinformation.”
To this, Wray said the federal agency addresses “foreign hostile actors who engage in covert efforts to use our social media platforms, which is something that is not seriously undisputed.”
Johnson quickly expressed that as inaccurate, since the agency allegedly targeted American citizens.
“The FBI is not in the business of moderating the content or causing any social media company to suppress or censor,” Wray stated before Johnson cut him off, “That is not what the court has found.”
Wray dodges questions related to FBI’s ‘unlawful’ surveillance of Americans
GOP lawmakers also referenced the FBI’s low approval ratings in recent years. An NBC News poll from last week found 37% of registered voters surveyed say they have a positive view of the FBI and 35% say they have a negative view.
Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida quoted publicly available text exchanges between Hunter Biden and a Chinese businessman, which suggested that he was sitting with his father, the vice president at the time, and asked Wray if the texts implied a “shakedown.”
When Wray refused to answer, Gaetz called him “deeply uncurious,” and switched to pressing the FBI chief on FISA, or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the surveillance of foreign entities.
“Let’s go from the deeply uncurious to the downright nosey. How many illegal FISA queries have occurred under your leadership of the FBI?” Gaetz asked.
Gaetz cited numerous reports that alleged that the illegal queries were between more than 200,000 to a million. Wray dodged the question, reaffirming that there are many reports and that he didn’t have a number.
“Seems like it’s a number you should know how many times the FBI is breaking the law under your watch, especially if it’s over a million,” the Florida representative said.
Jordan, an Ohio Republican who led the hearing, pointed to a closed-door hearing with Steven D’Antuono, the former assistant director-in-charge of the FBI’s Washington field office as proof of “abnormalities” in the Mar-a-Lago search.
For example, the U.S. Attorney’s Office wasn’t looped in and the FBI did not wait for Trump’s attorney to be present before the search.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers praised Wray, defending the investigations into Trump and the search of his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
Further, progressives like Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, categorized the GOP’s allegations as “conspiratorial” and “performance art.”
What did the White House say about the hearing?
According to NPR, the White House criticized the hearing in a statement.
“Extreme House Republicans have decided that the only law enforcement they like is law enforcement that suits their own partisan political agenda,” said Ian Sams, the White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations.
“Instead of backing the blue, they’re attacking the blue — going after the FBI, federal prosecutors, and other law enforcement professionals with political stunts to try to get themselves attention on the far right.”
Wray, a Republican, was appointed by Trump in 2017 to lead the FBI after James B. Comey was fired for opening an investigation into possible collusion with Russia, as Politico reported at the time.
His appearance comes a month after House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said he will start proceedings to hold Wray in contempt of Congress. The FBI said at the time that it is cooperating with Comer’s requests.
On many instances throughout the hearing, Wray refused to answer questions about open investigations.
“You’re still a registered Republican, and I hope you don’t change your party affiliation after this hearing is over,” said Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., thanking Wray for leading the agency in protecting citizens.