Posted on 06/07/2023 10:44:27 AM PDT by bitt
Prepared Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
To the Biden Justice Department and FBI: Quit Playing Games with the American People
Tuesday, June 6, 2023 12 min video
Once again, I’m here to discuss my constitutional oversight of the Justice Department and the FBI.
It surely has been a very busy year thus far for congressional oversight, and let me say, rightly so. That’s the way it should be.
We know, first, Congress passes laws.
But Congress can’t stop there. We’ve got to make sure that Congress follows up to guarantee under our check and balances of our constitution that a president will “faithfully execute” the laws.
In many of my speeches on the topic of oversight, I’ve discussed how political infection has taken root within the Biden Justice Department and FBI.
Such a political infection is catastrophic to the trust the American people must have in these institutions in order for those institutions to have any legitimate effect.
To restore this country’s confidence in the Justice Department and the FBI, these agencies must come clean with the 1023 document that whistleblowers have approached me about.
An FBI 1023 document is used to collect information from what the FBI calls a “confidential human source.” A confidential human source is not a mere walk-in or a mere tip like some journalists have reported. A confidential human source purpose is to advance investigative activity. And the FBI takes great care to make sure that they can vet these people and know that they serve a useful purpose.
The 1023 that I sought from the FBI references a criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and his alleged receipt of five million dollars for a policy decision.
Now at first, the FBI refused to even admit that this document existed, let alone admit that this document was marked unclassified.
Then, I told Director Wray last week that Chairman Comer and I’ve reviewed the 1023.
I told Director Wray that this 1023 is marked unclassified.
I told him that it was dated June 30, 2020.
And I and Chairman Comer demanded that he produce that document.
Director Wray made one excuse after another to not produce it.
I reminded Director Wray about how the FBI has a penchant for leaking classified information to the media and producing documents to the media.
In fact, we all know that the FBI did exactly that in a May 18, 2023 New York Times article.
The FBI, therefore, has no legitimate basis to refuse production of an unclassified document to the Congress of the United States.
Let’s keep in mind that Congress has received 1023 documents in the past.
And now, the FBI is subject to a legitimate subpoena for that very document.
In last week’s phone call with Director Wray, I also asked him if the 1023 is part of an ongoing investigation.
He answered that it’s relevant to an ongoing investigative matter. From that vague answer, it’s reasonable to conclude that it’s part of an ongoing investigation otherwise it wouldn’t be relevant to one. It’s also reasonable to conclude that the FBI finds it reliable enough to continue using it several years later.
Still, that doesn’t preclude Congress from running a parallel investigation pursuant to our constitutional oversight responsibilities.
You may remember that this senator did the same during Crossfire Hurricane.
If anything, this entire process is a lesson for the executive branch with respect to Congress’s constitutional power of oversight.
Remember, Congress funds the executive branch, not the other way around.
Remember, the document references other details that I believe will be made public in time.
We have duties to the whistleblowers who’ve provided legally protected unclassified disclosures to us.
These whistleblowers are patriots and must be protected.
Partisan media, most likely in conjunction with the Biden FBI, have misleadingly reported the 1023 is from a tranche of information provided by Rudy Giuliani.
News reports last week dispel that notion and make clear the 1023 information that we request is independent of Giuliani.
Those news reports also show that the source who formed the basis of the 1023 is a long-serving FBI source.
The source reportedly received numerous validations from the FBI.
The source reportedly operated even during the Obama administration.
Based on what I’ve been told about yesterday’s meeting, the FBI didn’t contradict these findings.
Today, I can say that based upon unclassified and legally protected whistleblower disclosures the FBI source in the 1023 has been paid at least two-hundred thousand dollars by the FBI since the source was opened and operational.
High dollar payments obviously mean the FBI believes the source to be credible and reputable.
That makes sense since Director Wray said the 1023 is relevant to an ongoing investigative report.
So, is the FBI looking at bribery allegations against members of the Biden family?
Is U.S. Attorney Weiss looking into this?
Did the FBI follow normal investigative process and procedure? Or did they try to sweep it under the rug?
For example, did the FBI try to improperly use the August 2020 Brian Auten assessment to shut down the 1023 reporting by falsely labeling it disinformation?
What exactly is the FBI doing with the information in this 1023 document that we request?
A vague pronouncement that the 1023 is relevant to an ongoing matter is certainly not even close to enough information to satisfy Congress and the American people about what’s actually being done with the information in this 1023 document.
The Justice Department and FBI no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt.
Just read the Durham report and its example after example of Justice Department and FBI failures.
And since July of last year, I’ve raised one whistleblower allegation after another to Attorney General Garland and to Director Wray of the FBI relating to Biden family investigations.
Now, just remember this: the Justice Department and the FBI have failed to dispute a single whistleblower allegation that I’ve made public.
They’ve also failed to provide any records that I’ve requested from the FBI or the Department of Justice.
Here, with this 1023 document I’ve been referring to throughout my remarks, the Biden Justice Department and FBI must explain to Congress and the American people what, if anything, they’ve done with this information.
And they need to show their work. We’re not accepting their word anymore.
We’re seeking documentary proof of what they did to investigate the matter or their failure to so do.
Given the gravity of the issues at stake, the American people deserve nothing less.
So, to the Justice Department and the FBI:
Quit playing games and recognize who you work for.
You’re not working to protect the corporate interests of the FBI – You’re working for the American people.
P
Well they better brace themselves l bet another sternly written Letter may be coming
Hey Grassley, when will the Kavanagh investigation be over?
So sad that, like everywhere else, the people of Iowa get played into having to vote for this fossil and Ernst. Two absolutely useless individuals.
Hey Grassley, STFU!!
Until we the American People see YOU dragging Wray and Garland in by their necks to answer to Congress, you can GFY!
Hint- Stern Letters Do Not Work
Grassley continues to blow enough smoke to fill the largest of rooms. If he wasn’t a DC swamp puke, he would’ve been gone long ago.
Now old man Grassely is really pissed off and ornery as hell. He’s got Wray, the proverbial Jack in the Box, stuffed back down with the lid slammed shut. Wray fashions himself too slippery to have gotten caught like this. Now that he’s cornered, all he can say is I won’t give it to you, as he clings to the hard proof in his hands that his crooked boss has committed 5 million dollars worth of cold hard treason against the United States.
There’s another election in a year and a half. If you think they won’t stall everything ‘til then, you haven’t been paying attention.
The ballots are printed, the dems will take back the House, and all will be forgotten.
Grassley’s a good man. Harkens back to a time before our country stated down the hellhole path to a corrupt police state.
Put them in jail, in the ground or STFU.
If people in the DOJ can’t follow the law, can’t Congress get rid of them? I thought they had that power.
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