Comer rips FBI over handling of informant memo, insists Weiss charges won't stop impeachment inquiry

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer on Thursday insisted that special counsel David Weiss's recent decision to bring charges against an ex-FBI informant who provided allegations of a bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden for allegedly lying would not stop the ongoing impeachment inquiry.

Weiss on Thursday brought charges against Alexander Smirnov for allegedly lying the bureau, including for giving false information recorded in a 2020 FD-1023 confidential human source memo that outlined the alleged scheme. That document became public in July of last year. The indictments from Weiss, however, could call the credibly of the document into question.

In a statement provided to Just the News, Comer stated that the impeachment inquiry had secured additional materials providing evidence and would proceed.

"To be clear, the impeachment inquiry is not reliant on the FBI’s FD-1023. It is based on a large record of evidence, including bank records and witness testimony, revealing that Joe Biden knew of and participated in his family’s business dealings," he said. "Just this week, we had another witness confirm Joe Biden was the brand being sold by the Bidens around the world."

"President Biden continues to lie to the American people about this matter and the American people demand the truth and accountability for any wrongdoing. We will continue to follow the facts to propose legislation to reform federal ethics laws and to determine whether articles of impeachment are warranted," he continued.

Comer further had harsh words for the FBI's apparent lack of action in verifying the material, despite receiving the allegations years ago.

"Last year when Senator Grassley brought the existence of an FD-1023 containing allegations against then-Vice President Biden to our attention, we sought the unclassified FD-1023 form from the FBI. FBI officials and Director Wray refused to release the form publicly because they claimed it would jeopardize the safety of a confidential human source who they claimed was invaluable to the FBI," he recalled.

"When asked by the committee about their confidence in the confidential human source, the FBI told the committee the confidential human source was credible and trusted, had worked with the FBI for over a decade, and had been paid six figures," Comer went on. "The FBI’s actions in this matter are very concerning. The FBI had this form for years and it appears they did nothing to verify the troubling claims contained within the record until Congress became aware of and demanded access to them."

Weiss, in his capacity as U.S. Attorney for Delaware, oversaw a yearslong investigation into first son Hunter Biden over tax issues. That investigation nearly culminated in a plea agreement, though the judge rejected the terms. The investigation saw IRS whistleblowers come forward to allege that Biden-appointed officials had interfered in the case to prevent the bringing of the most severe charges against him.

Specifically, IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley alleged that said actions led to the expiration of the statute of limitations on charges related to the 2014 and 2015 tax years, which "included foreign income from Burisma and a scheme to evade his income taxes through a partnership with a convicted felon."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.