FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee that the bureau is not shielding the Biden family from bribery allegations.
In his testimony, Mr. Wray was asked about a text message in which President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, threatened a Chinese businessman, adding he was “with my father.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican, scolded Mr. Wray for the lack of investigative follow-up by agents after the text message was uncovered by investigators working the tax fraud investigation into Hunter Biden.
When asked if the text message amounted to “a shakedown,” Mr. Wray said he could not comment.
“You seem deeply uncurious, don’t you? Almost suspiciously uncurious. Are you protecting the Bidens?” Mr. Gaetz asked.
“Absolutely not,” Mr. Wray said before he was cut off by the lawmaker.
SEE ALSO: FBI Director Wray defends search of Mar-a-Lago: ‘Not a raid’
“You won’t criticize an obvious shakedown when it’s directly in front of us, and it appears you are whitewashing the conduct of corrupt people,” Mr. Gaetz responded, adding that public opinion of the FBI is at its lowest level in decades.
Mr. Wray responded that in Mr. Gaetz’s home state, the number of applications to work for the FBI has increased to record levels, spurring a strong rebuke from the lawmaker.
“We are deeply proud of them and they deserve better than you,” he said.
The House Ways and Means Committee released the text message last month after receiving closed-door testimony from Gary Shapley, an IRS supervisory agent who spearheaded the tax fraud investigation into Hunter Biden.
In the message, sent in July 2017 through WhatsApp, Hunter Biden references his father in an apparent attempt to pressure a Chinese businessman into sending him money.
The younger Biden’s attempt to leverage his father in that exchange contradicts the White House’s claim that Mr. Biden was “not in business with his son,” a message the president has repeated.
SEE ALSO: FBI whistleblower: Deputy director told subordinates to hide Jan. 6 informants
“I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled,” Hunter Biden wrote to Henry Zhao, a Chinese Communist Party official.
“Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and that means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father,” the message continues.
Mr. Shapley and another agent who worked the case have said the Biden Justice Department sought to influence the probe by moving the focus away from the president and stymied efforts to bring felony charges against Hunter.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has cited legal matters in declining to comment on whether Mr. Biden has set any guardrails around family members — namely, a prohibition on conducting business — when they enter White House grounds for official events.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.