By Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Republican leader of a U.S. House of Representatives panel said he would seek to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress for what he called non-transmission information about President Joe Biden’s family relationships.
“We will now initiate contempt of Congress proceedings,” James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, said in a statement posted on Twitter.
Comer said he was taking action following a briefing given by FBI officials.
“During the briefing, the FBI again refused to release the unclassified file to the custody of the House Oversight Committee,” Comer said.
He did not provide further details on the case in question.
The FBI, in a statement to Reuters, said it attempted to respond to the committee’s request for information “including producing the document in a reading room in the U.S. Capitol.
“This common sense safeguard is often used in response to congressional requests and in legal proceedings to protect important concerns, such as the physical safety of sources and the integrity of investigations,” he said.
“The escalation to a contempt vote in these circumstances is unwarranted.”
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh, Sarah N. Lynch and Richard Cowan in Washington, Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)