Following allegations made by current and former employees of the Justice Department and the FBI that agents unlawfully covered up information about Hunter Biden during a criminal investigation, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified Thursday before a Senate panel that the bureau will act to safeguard whistleblowers.
During his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mr. Wray didn't discuss any of the particular claims that are relevant to the Hunter Biden case. Instead, he spoke in broad terms about the importance of protecting whistleblowers.
This pledge was made by the director of the FBI after it was revealed by Senator Charles E. Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, that his office had been contacted by current and former "highly credible whistleblowers." These individuals explained how the FBI improperly sought to disparage the Hunter Biden inquiry by labeling "verified and verifiable" information about the president's son as "disinformation." This revelation prompted the director of the FBI to make this pledge.
In his opening statement, Mr. Grassley stated that the FBI is showing partisanship, pointing out that the agency opened an investigation of the Trump campaign in 2016 based on flimsy allegations of collusion with Russia. Mr. Grassley's comments were made in reference to the fact that the FBI opened the investigation.
Mr. Grassley wrote in a letter that he sent the previous month to Mr. Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland that the whistleblowers told him that the Justice Department and the FBI are required to follow strict guidelines in order to open an investigation, but that agents allegedly did not follow those regulations.
According to Mr. Grassley, the informants also revealed that Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Thibault closed a line of inquiry into Hunter Biden in October 2020 because it was based on false information. However, according to the senator, some of the details were known to be accurate at the time.
Investigators were searching into whether or not Hunter Biden violated federal weapons and tax regulations. Although he has yet to be indicted with any offense, the investigation is ongoing. Because of his business dealings in other countries, he is also the subject of an investigation by the federal government for probable violations of foreign lobbying laws and money laundering.
