Posted on 05/16/2023 6:06:14 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), a member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said Monday that House Republicans might have to “use the power of the purse” to compel the FBI to cooperate with their investigations.
“The Congress is this country’s checkbook and we can start cutting funds to the FBI,” Burchett told Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business’ “Mornings With Maria.”
The FBI has refused to release a document that allegedly describes “very serious and detailed allegations” involving Joe Biden.
On May 3, Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued a Congressional subpoena demanding that the FBI produce an unclassified record detailing an alleged criminal bribery scheme involving the then-Vice President and a foreign national.
Comer issued the subpoena after a whistleblower made legally protected disclosures to Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) office. According to the whistleblower, the document is an FBI-generated FD-1023 form and it details an arrangement involving an exchange of money for policy decisions.
Burchett said he was in favor of cutting the FBI’s funding as a way to force the Bureau to comply with their subpoena.
“We’ll have to start cutting their checkbook a little bit just to get them to the table if that’s what it takes,” he said.
The congressman also confirmed what Comer told Bartiromo the day before regarding a missing whistleblower.
The Oversight Chairman said on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures that at least one informant/whistleblower with information regarding the Biden family’s crime schemes had gone missing.
“Nine of ten people that we’ve identified, that have very good knowledge with respect to the Bidens, they’re one of three things,” Comer said. “They’re either currently in court, they’re currently in jail, or they’re currently missing, They fear for their lives. Not only are the Biden lawyers and the Biden White House intimidating them, the media is trying to intimidate or discredit them.”
As American Greatness reported earlier this month, an Israeli whistleblower went missing in Cyprus after claiming in a tweet that the Biden administration was out to “bury” him. The Biden Department of Justice had Dr. Gal Luft, the founder and executive director of the Washington-based Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS), arrested on weapon trafficking charges last February as he was preparing to reveal damning information about the Biden family’s international business exploits to Congress.
“I’ve been arrested in Cyprus on a politically motivated extradition request by the U.S.,” Luft tweeted on February 18. “The US, claiming I’m an arms dealer. It would be funny if it weren’t tragic. I’ve never been an arms dealer,” Luft continued. “DOJ is trying to bury me to protect Joe, Jim & Hunter Biden,” the 56-year-old added, threatening to “name names.”
The whistleblower posted bail in March and hasn’t been seen since.
Earlier this month, Comer accused Hunter Biden’s lawyers of “testing the limits” of witness intimidation by contacting witnesses cooperating with their probe and reminding them of their “potential liability in some of these business schemes.”
“We feel that this is close to crossing the line,” he told Fox News’ Sandra Smith on May 1. “Obviously their objective, in my opinion, is witness intimidation.”
“The FBI doesn’t give a rip,” Burchett told Bartiromo. “They just basically sent a flippant response to our inquiries into this whole mess.”
Burchett also noted that the FBI has been sitting on evidence of colossal criminality regarding the Biden family, but has focused instead on “small potatoes” like Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.)
“There are ten million reasons to look at this White House,” Burchett said, in reference to the $10 million the Biden family and their business associates have received via wire transfers from foreign companies.
Bartiromo marveled that these have been the most serious allegations ever leveled against a sitting president and the media refuses to cover it.
“The whole thing is ridiculous and for the Democrats and the national media and the FBI to apparently be in collusion together on this thing is even more telling,” Burchett agreed.
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with FBI Director Christopher Wray to discuss these issues on Thursday.
If I'm not mistaken, any House bill to change a department or agency's funding requires Senate approval. Even if a House FBI defunding bill can hurdle the RINOs in the House, it won't get through the Senate.
If I'm wrong in understanding the Senate's role in bills involving funding or defunding - please let me know.
I think that defunding is a great idea. I think that we should cut funds to Biden’s new IRS workers while we are at it. I hear that the DOJ, removed all 30 of the IRS workers who were working on the Hunter Biden case.
Dan Bongino has been telling us this for four years or more on his podcasts.
But with no criminal referrals or prosecutions of those responsible for opening up full criminal investigations based on "Russia collusion" rumors and paid political opposition research (Steele file,) there is no disincentive for them to not do it again.
Even when an FIB lawyer deliberately altered a CIA email to flip the meaning of the email 180 degrees then submitted the altered document as justification for a FISA warrant, all he got in return was a few months of community service, a temporary suspension of his law license (which has since been restored,) and a book deal.
Congress needs to pass some laws to better police government officials, leaking, lying, plotting etc. Using government resources for political purposes should be a felony and a low bar to prove.
Washington DC: Manufacturers, Purveyors, and Distributors of A1 Prime Argle-Bargle
If they fixed everything, how come they treated Biden’s classified documents and Trump’s differently?
“U.S. CODE
TITLE 2—THE CONGRESS
CHAPTER 6—CONGRESSIONAL AND COMMITTEE PROCEDURE; INVESTIGATIONS
Sec. 193. Privilege of witnesses
No witness is privileged to refuse to testify to any fact, or to produce any paper, respecting which he shall be examined by either House of Congress, or by any joint committee established by a joint or concurrent resolution of the two Houses of Congress, or by any committee of either House, upon the ground that his testimony to such fact or his production of such paper may tend to disgrace him or otherwise render him infamous.”
Simply look up Hinds Precedents, especially chapters 53 and 51, and Cannon’s Precedents, especially chapters 184-185. You’ll find numerous detailed cases of Congress asserting its power, arresting people, holding them until they agreed to answer questions, and then releasing them. Some of these people did not refuse to appear, but simply failed to satisfactorily answer questions.
Congress has the authority to arrest and imprison those found in Contempt. The power extends throughout the United States and is an inherent power (does not depend upon legislated act)
If found in Contempt the person can be arrested under a warrant of the Speaker of the House of Representatives or President of the Senate, by the respective Sergeant at Arms.
Statutory criminal contempt is an alternative to inherent contempt.
Under the inherent contempt power Congress may imprison a person for a specific period of time or an indefinite period of time, except a person imprisoned by the House of Representatives may not be imprisoned beyond adjournment of a session of Congress.
Imprisonment may be coercive or punitive.
Some references
[1] Joseph Story’s Commentaries on the Constitution, Volume 2, § 842 http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/print_documents/a1_5s21.html
[2] Anderson v. Dunn - 19 U.S. 204 - “And, as to the distance to which the process might reach, it is very clear that there exists no reason for confining its operation to the limits of the District of Columbia; after passing those limits, we know no bounds that can be prescribed to its range but those of the United States.” http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/19/204/case.html
[3] Jurney v. MacCracken, 294 U.S. 125 http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/294/125/case.html 73rd Cong., 78 Cong. Rec. 2410 (1934) https://archive.org/details/congressionalrec78aunit
[4] McGrain v. Daugherty, 273 U.S. 135 - Under a warrant issued by the President of the Senate the Deputy to the Senate Sergeant at Arms arrested at Cincinnati, Ohio, Mally S. Daugherty, who had been twice subpoenaed by the Senate and twice failed to appear. http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/273/135/case.html
[5] Rules of the House of Representatives, Rule IV Duties of the Sergeant at Arms - [] execute the commands of the House, and all processes issued by authority thereof, directed to him by the Speaker. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/HMAN-105/pdf/HMAN-105-pg348.pdf
[6] An analysis of Congressional inquiry, subpoena, and enforcement http://www.constitutionproject.org/documents/when-congress-comes-calling-a-primer-on-the-principles-practices-and-pragmatics-of-legislative-inquiry/
In 1857, a New York Times reporter refused to say which members of Congress had asked him to get them bribes (protecting his “sources” just as various Judith Millers today protect the people who feed them proven lies that costs thousands of lives), so Congress locked him up until he answered and then banned him from Congress.
In 1924 an oil executive appeared but refused to answer certain questions, so the Senate held — literally held — him in contempt. Senator Thomas Walsh of Montana argued that this question of contempt was of the gravest importance, and that it involved “the very life of the effective existence of the House of Representatives of the United States and of the Senate of the United States.” The matter was taken to court, and the witness fined and imprisoned.
Congress? It doesn't matter what Congress passes, it has to be signed by the President, then enforced by the President's Department of Justice.
When a Democrat FIB goes after a Republican, and the DOJ and Presidency are both Democrats, no law in the world will change what (won't) happen.
Enough with threats - DO IT NOW!
yawn
We’re way beyond the time for threats and there is never any action by the GOP. All BS all the time.
Starve the beast make to weak to attack
What’s stopping you, loudmouth. So sick of these doshits talking.
Reinstating the Holman Rule would need to overcome a Senate vote and Biden’s veto.
The only constitutional based functions of government is the 18 enumerated powers of congress. Anything else should be defunded and closed.
“Cut Wray’s pay to minimum wage.”
Absolutely not! Cut Wray’s salary to ZERO. All employees at DOJ, FBI, IRS top level execs and management — no salary. If Congress had the power to fire their asses, which they don’t, that would be ideal.
Payless, he will still be around and a problem
To end the crime against the Republic, there must be a more permanent solution
“Less talk and more action.”
Burchett is our Congress critter, and we’re not impressed. He’s attractive with his “aw shucks” attitude, and cute little redneck colloquialisms, but there’s just something about him.
If congress cuts their budget, I would expect a whole lot of swat raids on the congressional leaders. It’s obama’s fbi.
LOL. Anyone who believes the GOP will defund any of the deep state is delusional. They’ll make a bunch of noise, and then claim that the dastardly democrats prevented them from doing anything, just like they did when ‘republicans’ controlled the house, senate, and presidency.
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