FBI director Chris Wray refused to answer questions about the mysterious January 6th pipe bomber in a testy hearing Wednesday where he dismissed "ludicrous" theories that feds instigated the Capitol riot.
Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie pressed Wray to share updates from the FBI's probe, which has yet to identify the bomber more than two and a half years later.
"As you know, this is a very active, ongoing investigation and there are some restrictions," Wray said.
Wray also wouldn't comment on how a second bomb at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) was found. It's a matter of considerable interest as Kamala Harris was evacuated from the DNC when the bomb was found.
Massie played a surveillance video of a person appearing to notify the police about the second bomb, but Wray would not say if the person has been interviewed.
"It’s been 900 days. You need to tell us what you found, because we’re finding stuff you haven’t released into the public," Massie said.
Why doesn't Director Wray have answers about the January 6th pipe-bomb investigation?
🎥 : @RepThomasMassie pic.twitter.com/mBJUcMQajG
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) July 12, 2023
Wray's tone throughout the hearing was noticeably defensive. Raising his voice at times, he rejected "insane" claims that federal law enforcement is targeting conservatives.
“The idea that I'm biased against conservatives seems somewhat insane to me, given my own personal background," Wray, who was appointed by President Trump, said.
Wray snapped again during a line of questioning about Ray Epps, the man accused of being a "fed" over his suspicious, provocative behavior leading up to January 6th.
"If you are suggesting that the violence at the Capitol on January 6th was part of some operation orchestrated by FBI sources or FBI agents, the answer is no, it was not, and to suggest otherwise is a disservice to our hard-working, dedicated law enforcement professionals," Wray said.
Wray's evasive and contemptuous answers are typical of the FBI, which has long thumbed its nose at oversight from Congress.
In case Wray forgot, Massie reminded him that Congress controls the FBI's budget - and therefore has the power to slash it.
"We fund your department, so you need to provide that [information]," he said.
Later in the hearing, Wray warned that defunding the FBI would only help "violent gangs and cartels, foreign terrorists, Chinese spies, hackers, and so forth.”
Yet, the FBI still hasn't found the pipe bomber who sent Kamala Harris fleeing for her life? The FBI is either incompetent, or incorrigibly corrupt.
