(NewsNation) — A Republican-led House Oversight Committee will move to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress after he failed to produce documents related to an investigation into President Joe Biden’s dealings while he served as vice president, according to NewsNation sources.
At the heart of the investigation is an alleged whistleblower complaint regarding potential criminal activity by Biden. According to the committee, a whistleblower alleged Biden took bribes from foreign entities in exchange for favorable policy decisions while serving as vice president.
Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer announced the decision after the FBI director failed to comply with a subpoena requesting all 1023 forms citing the name “Biden.”
The FBI has so far publicly refused to confirm if that form, or any other 1023 forms related to Biden exist. GOP sources say the reason the forms were not turned over is that there were too many documents meeting the criteria.
A 1023 form is used by the FBI to record unverified reporting from a confidential human source. The existence of a 1023 form is not confirmation that any wrongdoing occurred, but it is a method whistleblowers often use to communicate concerns.
If found to be in contempt of Congress, this would be the first time an FBI director has faced such a charge. The maximum penalty for this offense is a fine of up to $100,000 and between one to 12 months in jail, though that would require prosecution by the Department of Justice.
In order to hold someone in contempt of Congress, the entire committee must vote on it, followed by a vote from the entire House.
The investigation is just one of many House Republicans are conducting into Biden and his family. Other lines of investigation include the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and business transactions by other members of the Biden family.
White House spokesperson Ian Sams has referred to the allegations as “unfounded, unproven, politically-motivated attacks.”