Jim Jordan investigating possible obstruction of Congressional Hunter Biden investigation by US intelligence community.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Investigates Obstruction of Biden Family Investigation
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is currently looking into whether members of the U.S. intelligence community.”>intelligence community hindered congressional investigations into President Joe Biden and his family.
Mr. Jordan’s inquiry focuses on a “defensive” briefing held by the FBI on August 6, 2020, for Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who were actively investigating the business dealings of Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, at the time. The briefing was conducted by then-FBI Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Nikki Floris and then-FBI Foreign Influence Task Force (FITF) Section Chief Bradley Benavides.
The details of the August 6, 2020 briefing are unclear, but it coincided with media reports suggesting that the Republican Senators were spreading Russian disinformation. Mr. Grassley has stated that the briefing was unnecessary and irrelevant to his investigation, but it provided an opportunity for Democrats and the liberal media to push their false narrative.In a letter to Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines, Mr. Jordan expressed his belief that the briefing was intended to undermine the Senators’ investigative efforts.“Floris and Benavides made it unequivocally clear that ODNI and its Notification Framework were integral to the pretextual ‘defensive’ briefing meant to frustrate and obstruct congressional oversight into the Biden family’s overseas influence-peddling operation,” Mr. Jordan wrote.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) oversees the intelligence community and determines whether defensive briefings, like the one given to Grassley and Johnson, are necessary. According to a July 19, 2023 testimony by Ms. Floris, any analyst within the intelligence community can submit information for a defensive briefing to the ODNI’s Credibility Assessment Group, which then decides whether the briefing is warranted. The FBI is responsible for providing the briefing, regardless of the source of the underlying intelligence.
Both Ms. Floris and Mr. Benavides have advised House investigators to seek further details about the August 6, 2020 briefing from the ODNI.Jordan’s Questions for ODNI
In his letter, Mr. Jordan called on the ODNI to provide documents and communications related to the controversial briefing, as well as scripts, drafts of scripts, and lists of ODNI officials involved in the decision to hold the briefing.Mr. Jordan is also investigating whether the August 6, 2020 defensive briefing is connected to a July 13, 2020 letter from Democratic lawmakers to the FBI. The letter raised concerns about foreign interference in the 2020 election and requested a defensive briefing for all members of Congress. Mr. Jordan has asked the ODNI to provide any documents and communications related to the July 13, 2020 letter.Mr. Jordan has requested the ODNI to provide the requested records by November 15 and has called for Shelby Pierson, ODNI’s Intelligence Community Election Threats Executive, to appear for an interview with his committee by the same date.
In July 2019, then-DNI Dan Coats appointed Ms. Pierson as ODNI’s Intelligence Community Election Threats Executive. She remains a key figure in the investigation.“Our oversight has revealed that [Ms. Pierson] was personally involved with formulating ODNI’s Notification Framework and has relevant information relating to the intelligence and processes used to justify the August 6 defensive briefing,” Mr. Jordan wrote.
NTD News reached out to the ODNI for comment but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
From NTD News
What specific documents and communications related to the August 6, 2020 briefing is Mr. Jordan requesting from the ODNI?
Rom the FBI and the ODNI. However, the FBI has refused to provide any additional information, citing concerns about ongoing investigations and potential risks to national security. The ODNI, on the other hand, has stated that it does not have access to the requested documents and suggested that the FBI should be the primary source of information.
Mr. Jordan is now calling on the ODNI to release all documents and communications related to the August 6, 2020 briefing, as well as any instructions given to Floris and Benavides. He also urged the ODNI to provide a detailed explanation of the decision-making process behind the briefing, including the involvement of senior officials.
“The American people deserve transparency and accountability from their government,” Mr. Jordan said in a statement. ”It is crucial that we determine whether the intelligence community has been weaponized to protect President Biden and his family from legitimate investigations.”
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