House Republicans Grill FBI Director Wray

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Facts

  • FBI Director Christopher Wray appeared before the House Judiciary Committee at 10 a.m. EST Wednesday as part of a regularly scheduled oversight hearing, which turned into an hours-long grilling of Wray by House Republicans who claim the FBI and intelligence community has been weaponized against conservatives and in favor of Democrats.1
  • Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) voiced many of his issues with Wray’s FBI, including the agency's lack of interest in the Hunter Biden laptop story before the 2020 election, its collusion with social media companies to suppress conservatives, and its targeting of school boards and parents.2
  • Conservative Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) accused Wray of turning a blind eye to Pres. Biden and his son Hunter. Gaetz read messages from 2017 in which Hunter demanded money from a Chinese associate, calling Wray “deeply uncurious” and asking if he was “protecting the Bidens?3
  • Wray remained quiet when asked about ongoing investigations into former Pres. Donald Trump and Hunter Biden, but pushed back against the criticisms, lauding the FBI’s crime-fighting work against cartels and its protection of Americans.4
  • He also called claims of bias against conservatives “somewhat insane,” but Republicans still pressed him on information from a form that alleges bribery between the Bidens and a Ukrainian gas firm. The FBI didn’t comply with an Oversight subpoena to turn over the document, and Wray wouldn’t say if Pres. Biden is under investigation.5
  • Leading Democrat Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) said Republicans hijacked and politicized the hearing to “protect Donald Trump from the consequences of his actions,” accusing House Republicans of targeting the FBI for treating Donald Trump “like any other citizen.”6

Sources: 1The Hill, 2NBC, 3New York Post, 4Associated Press, 5FOX News, and 6CNN.

Narratives

  • Republican narrative, as provided by The Post Millennial. Christopher Wray and the FBI are being exposed for their double standard of justice and their protection of Pres. Biden and his corrupt family. Wray may have angrily denied the accusations of the FBI’s weaponization, but all evidence clearly points to an uneven playing field in favor of Democrats. From the complete lack of due diligence into Hunter Biden’s business dealings, to the targeting of conservative parents and pro-life activists, to the unfair treatment of Jan. 6 protesters, it's clear the US has a two-tier justice system.
  • Democratic narrative, as provided by The New Republic. The Republicans grilling Wray were merely grasping at straws, parroting conspiracy theories and attacking law enforcement, who they have long claimed to support. The GOP has turned so quickly in cultish defense of leader Donald Trump, who has consistently surrounded himself with criminals. It appears that “weaponization” against Republicans is simply applying the same rules to them as everyone else.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by NPR Online News. America’s security agencies have been a political weapon for a long time, but we are now seeing the mask come off. The FBI has a sordid history of being entangled in politics and targeting individuals and groups. Countless whistleblowers have come out against the national security apparatus, and Americans — on both sides of the aisle — will hopefully awaken from the amnesia of this troubled history.