FBI Director Christopher Wray dodged a question in Thursday’s House Intelligence Committee hearing on whether the media reporting on Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop was “disinformation.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) initially raised the question about the computer, which has been confirmed to be legitimate. Wray responded by saying, “I want to be careful about — there’s an ongoing investigation that is relevant to that.”
He added that “I have to be careful what I can share on that here.”
Stefanik reapproached the question, asking the director if he believed the laptop story was disinformation. And again, Wray responded by claiming that was something he could not address “in open setting.” Stefanik, to her credit, did not back down.
I just secured FBI Director Wray’s commitment to stop stonewalling @HouseGOP's investigation into the politicization and weaponization of the FBI, by agreeing to provide a witness for the upcoming @Weaponization hearing.
Accountability is coming. pic.twitter.com/oTvVWwGRqT
— Rep. Elise Stefanik (@RepStefanik) March 9, 2023
The number four House Republican diverted to the Twitter Files and their revelations of government ties with the social media platform. Stacks of internal company documents show that the FBI worked directly with Twitter to censor the explosive story.
Stefanik asked the director if he knew that some of his employees were in direct contact with Twitter over the Hunter Biden laptop story just prior to the 2020 presidential election.
Wray asserted his belief that FBI personnel did not engage with Twitter specifically about the exposed laptop. Instead, he said that the bureau was in contact with the social media platform over “Russian disinformation efforts.”
Stefanik then reminded him that the laptop was clearly classified as an integral part of those “efforts.”
After a further exchange, the Republican representative said that Wray was “stonewalling” and called his lack of forthrightness “unacceptable.”
She then moved on last year’s contentious raid on Mar-a-Lago, asking the director if he signed off on the action. His response began by asserting that it was not a “raid,” but “an execution of a search warrant.”
Wray then contended that he does not “sign off on individual search warrants in that case or in any other.”
Stefanik then grilled the director on whether Attorney General Merrick Garland signed off and if there was senior level dissent on conducting the search warrant at former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence. Wray dodged both questions.
Stefanik and the Republican House are shining much-needed light on federal actions under the Biden White House. It is critical that they continue this work to hold the administration accountable for a long list of misdeeds that deserve to be answered for.
