GOP Representative Mike Johnson of Louisiana called on FBI Director Christopher Wray to correct his congressional testimony Sunday and alleges he made several “demonstrably untrue” statements during his hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee last week.
“Chairman Jim Jordan and I are preparing a letter that we’ll issue probably Monday or Tuesday to ask the director to correct his testimony,” said Johnson on the “Sunday Night in America.” We are going to point out the contradictions and what he said under oath, and we’ll start with that.”
“I think some of the answers he provided to us in the hearing were demonstrably untrue,” added Johnson later. “It’s just a problem that scandal upon scandal continues to stack up.”
During a combative hearing last Wednesday, GOP lawmakers grilled the director of the FBI director on the politicization of his agency, during a recent federal court ruling detailing the bureau’s purported suppression of conservative free speech related to the origins of Covid-19, the Hunter Biden laptop story and other subjects discussed by Americans on social media.
In heated question, Johnson charged that he found it “stunning” that Wray made no mention in his opening statement — or in a lengthy report prepared July 12 — of the July 4 injunction issued by Terry Doughty, U.S. District Judge in Louisiana, ordering the Justice Department, White House, the FBI, and other Biden administration agencies to limit communication with social media companies regarding efforts to curb free speech protected by the First Amendment.
Wray deflected questions, refused to answer lawmakers
Wray deflected the question and insisted that the bureau isn’t focused on “disinformation” and that he is “absolutely not” protecting the Biden family amid allegations politics influenced the Hunter Biden probe.
Wray also refused to answer questions from lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee on whether President Joe Biden is under federal investigation for an alleged criminal bribery scheme and informed the committee about the good work of the FBI while continuing to deny any alleged politicization within the bureau. The director blasted claims he is biased against conservatives as “somewhat insane.”
“He was defiant, he was evasive, and really, he was standoffish to the Judiciary Committee, and of course, we have the important responsibility of oversight of his agency,” said Johnson Sunday.
Representative Johnson said Wray’s refusal to address questions directly pertaining to his agency’s alleged suppression of conservative free speech continues to undermine public trust in U.S. institutions like the FBI.
“The latest polling said that only 37 percent of Americans have any faith in the FBI,” the legislator continued. “This is a threat to our entire system of justice, the people have to believe that they’re fair and impartial, and we do not have equal justice under the law, but right now, under this leadership, we don’t.”
The FBI published a Wednesday press release as Wray was testifying, outlining his position on a wide range of issues, including social media censorship.
“The FBI is not in the business of being ‘truth police’ or telling any social media company to censor an account, and we don’t moderate content,” explained the press release.
“The FBI is, as a law enforcement and intelligence agency, responsible for working with companies, in a fully lawful way, to protect our communities from child predators and terrorists, as well as hostile foreign countries like China, Russia, and Iran looking to exploit social media platforms to commit crimes and threaten national security,” read the release.
