The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Congressional Oversight (Executive Session)” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the in the Senate section section on pages S1969-S1970 on June 6.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Congressional Oversight
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today, once again, I am here to discuss my constitutional oversight of the Justice Department and the FBI. It surely has been a very busy year thus far for congressional oversight, and let me say rightly so. That is the way it should be because we know, first, Congress passes laws, but Congress can't stop there. We have got to make sure that Congress follows up to guarantee, under our checks and balances of our Constitution, that a President will faithfully execute the laws.
In many of my speeches on the topic of oversight, I have discussed how political infection has taken root in the Biden Justice Department and FBI. Such a political infection is catastrophic to the trust the American people must have in these institutions in order for those institutions to have any legitimate effect.
To restore this country's confidence in the Justice Department and the FBI, these Agencies must come clean with a 1023 document that whistleblowers have approached me about.
An FBI 1023 document is used to collect information from what the FBI calls a confidential human source.
A confidential human source is not--I want to emphasize--is not a mere walk-in or a mere tip like some journalists have reported. Confidential human source purpose is to advance investigative activity, and the FBI takes great care to make sure that they can vet these people and know that they serve a useful purpose.
The 1023 that I sought from the FBI references a criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and his alleged receipt of $5 million for a policy decision. Now, at first, the FBI refused to even admit that this document existed, let alone admit that this document was marked ``unclassified.''
Then I told Director Wray last week that Chairman Comer and I have reviewed the 1023. I told Director Wray that this 1023 is marked
``unclassified.'' I told him that it was dated June 30, 2020, and I and Chairman Comer demanded that he produce that document.
Director Wray made one excuse after another to not produce it. I reminded Director Wray about how the FBI has a penchant for leaking classified information to the media and producing documents to the media. In fact, we all know that the FBI did exactly that in a May 18, 2023, New York Times article. The FBI, therefore, has no legitimate basis to refuse production of a nonclassified document to the Congress of the United States.
Let's keep in mind that Congress has received 1023 documents in the past, and now the FBI is subject to a legitimate subpoena for that very document. In last week's phone call with Director Wray, I also asked him if the 1023 is part of an ongoing investigation. He answered that it is relevant to an ongoing investigative matter.
From that vague answer, it is reasonable to conclude that it is part of an ongoing investigation, otherwise it wouldn't be relative to one. It is also reasonable to conclude that the FBI finds it reliable enough to continue using it several years later.
Still--still--that doesn't preclude Congress from running a parallel investigation pursuant to our constitutional oversight responsibilities.
You may remember that this Senator did the same thing during Crossfire Hurricane. If anything, this entire process is a lesson for the executive branch with respect to Congress's constitutional power of oversight.
Now, remember, Congress funds the executive branch, not the other way around. Remember, the document referenced other details that I believe will be made public in time. We have duties to the whistleblowers who have provided legally protected unclassified disclosures to us. These whistleblowers are patriots and must be protected.
Partisan media, most likely in conjunction with the Biden FBI, has misleadingly reported the 1023 is from a tranche of information provided by Rudy Giuliani. News reports last week dispel that notion and make clear that 1023 information that we request is independent of Giuliani.
Those news reports also show that the source who formed the basis of the 1023 is a long-serving FBI source. The source reportedly received numerous validations from the FBI. The source reportedly operated even during the Obama administration. Based on what I have been told about yesterday's meeting, the FBI didn't contradict these findings.
Today, I can say that based upon unclassified and legally protected whistleblower disclosures, the FBI source in the 1023 has been paid at least $200,000 by the FBI since the source was opened and operational.
High-dollar payments obviously mean the FBI believes the source to be credible and reputable. That makes sense, since Director Wray said the 1023 is relevant to an ongoing investigative report.
So is the FBI looking at bribery allegations against members of the Biden family? Is U.S. Attorney Weiss looking into this? Did the FBI follow normal investigative processes and procedures or did they just sweep this under the rug?
For example, did the FBI try to improperly use the August 2020 Brian Auten assessment to shut down the 1023 reporting by falsely labeling it
``disinformation''? What exactly is the FBI doing with the information in this 1023 document that we request?
A vague pronouncement that the 1023 is relevant to an ongoing matter is certainly not even close to enough information to satisfy Congress as well as the American people about what is actually being done with the information on this 1023 document.
The Justice Department and the FBI no longer deserve the benefit of the doubt. Just read the Durham report and its example after example of Justice Department and FBI failures that the Durham report points out.
And since July of last year, I have raised one whistleblower allegation after another to Attorney General Garland and to Director Wray of the FBI relating to the Biden family investigation.
Now, just remember this: The Justice Department and the FBI have failed to dispute a single whistleblower allegation that I have made public. They have also failed to provide any records that I have requested from the FBI or the Department of Justice.
Here, with this 1023 document that I have been referring to throughout my remarks, the Biden Justice Department and FBI must explain to Congress and the American people what, if anything, they have done with this information. And they need to show their work. We are not accepting their word anymore. We are seeking documentary proof of what they did to investigate the matter or their failure to so do. Given the gravity of the issues at stake, the American people deserve nothing less.
So to the Justice Department and the FBI: Quit playing games and recognize whom you work for. You are not working to protect the corporate interests of the FBI; you are working for the American people.
I yield the floor.
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Texas.