The FBI has issued a statement defending Director Christopher Wray after recent revelations in former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s criminal case led to accusations that he was not quick enough to release evidence of wrongdoing under the bureau’s previous leadership.
Last week, a judge unsealed documents in the case that included notes from former FBI official Bill Priestap. Those notes indicated that before investigators questioned Flynn about his contacts with a Russian ambassador, they debated whether the goal was to find the truth or trap him in a lie.
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In a letter to Wray Monday, Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Mike Johnson, R-La., questioned why evidence of the FBI’s conduct during “the Obama-Biden era” was being learned “from litigation and investigations” and not from Wray himself.
“Under Director Wray’s leadership, the FBI has fully cooperated and been transparent with the review being conducted by U.S. Attorney Jeff Jensen, just as it has been with U.S. Attorney John Durham and was with Inspector General Michael Horowitz,” Wray’s office said in a statement.
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Regarding the Flynn case, in particular, the statement noted that “the FBI previously produced those materials to the Inspector General and U.S. Attorney Durham,” referring to investigations of the Russia probe’s origins.
Jordan and Johnson had accused Wray of failing to sufficiently hold his agency accountable for what had been done during the previous administration.
“It is well past time that you show the leadership necessary to bring the FBI past the abuses of the Obama-Biden era,” they said in their letter.
Wray’s office claimed that he is indeed interested in dealing with the FBI’s past actions.
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“Since taking office, Director Wray has stressed the importance of strictly abiding by established processes, without exception,” the statement said. “Director Wray remains firmly committed to addressing the failures under prior FBI leadership while maintaining the foundational principles of rigor, objectivity, accountability and ownership in fulfilling the bureau’s mission to protect the American people and defend the Constitution.”
After a Daily Caller report said that Wray had tried to keep the information from Flynn’s case from getting out, Justice Department spokesperson pushed back with a statement saying that Wray “has been nothing but cooperative throughout this process.”
Fox News' David Spunt contributed to this report.
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