Newly minted 49-year-old FBI Director Christopher Wray faced some tough questions in the House Judiciary Committee today, at least from Republicans concerned about the FBI’s investigation into 71-year-old President Donald Trump. Appointing former FBI Director Robert Mueller as Special Counsel May 17 to investigate Russian meddling and alleged Trump collusion in the 2016 election, Wray found himself in the GOP hot seat. Democrats’ backed Wray’s outrage over Trump’s recent tweets that the department was “in tatters.” “There are no shortage of options out there,” said Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), referring to Trump and other House Republicans’ criticism. “The FBI I see is tens of thousands of brave men and women who are working as hard as they can to keep people that they will never know safe from harm,” said Wray, sidestepping pressing questions.
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee want only more confirmation that Trump colluded with the Russians to win the 2016 election. While there’s ton of speculation, there’s milligrams of evidence that collusion took place. After over six months on the job, Mueller indicted Oct. 30 former Trump Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and his associate Rick Gates for alleged financial crimes at least 10 years before the campaign began. Getting White House foreign policy aid George Papadopoulos and former National Security Adviser Gen. Michael Flynn to plead guilty to lying to FBI agents unrelated to Russian collusion shows that Mueller’s grasping at straws. Wray deferred the tough questions from Republicans about Mueller’s predecessor, 56-year-old former FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by Trump for cause May 9, 2016.
Asked about the impropriety of investigating Trump and his campaign associations, Wray dodged the question. “When we make mistakes, there are independent processes like that of the outside, independent inspector general that will dive deep into the facts surrounding those mistakes,” said Wray. Wray won’t talk about how Comey got the wiretaps to investigate Flynn and other Trump campaign officials. Asked whether he used former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s paid opposition research AKA “the dossier” to get warrants from the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act [FISA] Court, he wouldn’t comment. “We find ourselves under the microscope each and every day—and rightfully so. We do hard work for a living,” said Wray, ignoring the ongoing Trump investigation. Republicans want to know what justified investigating Trump’s campaign.
Republicans wanted to know more about Peter Strzok—No. 2 in the counterintelligence division—who headed the Hillary email investigation, before getting fired last summer for a tweet showing his anti-Trump bias. Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) wanted to know what Wray would do with FBI investigators showing political bias. “I think these matters are being looked at as they should be, by somebody outside the FBI, and when those findings come up to me, I will take appropriate action if necessary,” said Wray, again not dealing with real concerns about Mueller’s investigation. Democrats flipped backing everything Mueller does as long as it harms Trump. When Comey reopened the Hillary email investigation eight days before the 2016 election, Democrats railed against Comey. Now that the FBI attacks Trump, Democrats back Mueller’s investigation wholeheartedly.
Wray needs to get to the bottom of what prompted Comey to investigate Trump campaign officials. If he used the infamous “dossier” to wiretap or seek warrants from the FISA court the public has a right to know. Questions continue to swirl on 2016 election about the Obama administration’s role in wiretapping Trump campaign officials. Rep. Steven King (R-Iowa) wants to know if Former President Barack Obama gave Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch the order to have Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice to have Trump campaign officials, including Flynn, wiretapped. King also wants to know why Strzok changed Comey’s July 5 decision to end the Hillary email investigation from “gross negligence” to “extremely careless.” Hillary had a tailwind last summer heading into the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Going from “gross negligence” to “extremely careless” let Hillary off the hook.
Wray needs to perform his own internal audit to find out whether Comey mishandled the Hillary email investigation. When law enforcement agencies find out suspects have destroyed evidence, like computer files, it’s automatically considered obstruction of justice. Yet Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, concludes Mueller’s case against Trump for firing Comey is clear obstruction of justice. Feinstein didn’t listen when Comey said May 10, the day after his termination, that Trump had every right to fire him. Wray should determine if destroying email files or cell phones constitutes obstruction of justice. If so, Wray must show the professionalism to ask Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosensetein to appoint a Special Counsel to investigate Hillary. Returning the FBI’s credibility requires more than passing the buck to the Inspector General.
