Barr slaps down Democrat claim that he ended Biden corruption investigation: 'Not true'

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There is no reason for the FBI to not hand over this document: Rep. James Comer

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., discusses how the FBI seems to be doing all they can to block the release of the Biden document on ‘Fox News Tonight.’

Former Attorney General Bill Barr is denying a claim by Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin that he and his handpicked prosecutor spiked a corruption allegation into Joe Biden and ended the investigation due to a lack of evidence.

"It’s not true," Barr told The Federalist on Tuesday. "It wasn’t closed down. On the contrary, it was sent to Delaware for further investigation."

Barr was responding to a comment from Raskin this week claiming that Barr’s office investigated a claim during the Trump administration from a confidential human source in an FD-1023 document alleging that Biden as vice president was involved in a criminal bribery scheme in exchange for policy favors. 

Raskin claimed that Barr "spent the summer" with his team of prosecutors looking into the claim "determined there was no grounds to escalate from an initial assessment to a preliminary investigation" and "called an end" to the investigation due to lack of suspicion of "criminal activity."

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William Barr speaks during a roundtable discussion with federal, state, and local officials at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Raskin stood by his comment in a defiant press release on Wednesday.

"I stand 100% by my statements that we were told by the FBI team that visited us on Monday, June 5, 2023, that the Department of Justice team of prosecutors and FBI agents under U.S. Attorney Scott Brady determined that there were no grounds to escalate their probe from an initial assessment of the allegations surfaced by Rudy Giuliani to a preliminary or full-blown investigation and that it was therefore closed down," Raskin said. 

"If William Barr has a problem with this characterization, his problem is not with me but with the FBI, Mr. Brady, and other high-level officials reporting to him in his own Justice Department who signed off on closing down Mr. Brady’s probe."

The FBI tip in that FD-1023 is now at the center of an investigation led by Republican House Oversight Chairman James Comer, who said on Monday he will begin the process of holding FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt for what he says is a lack of compliance by the bureau to turn over the physical form to the committee.

Wray allowed Comer and Raskin to view the document in a secure sensitive compartmented information facility shortly before Raskin made his comments about Barr to the press, but Republicans argue the FBI has not fully complied with their subpoena.

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In this image from video, House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., speaks during the second impeachment trial of former President Trump. (Senate Television via AP)

The FBI, on Monday, said the move to hold the FBI director in contempt is unwarranted, as the bureau has "continually demonstrated its commitment to accommodate the committee's request, including by producing the document in a reading room at the U.S. Capitol." 

"This commonsense safeguard is often employed in response to congressional requests and in court proceedings to protect important concerns, such as the physical safety of sources and the integrity of investigations," the FBI said in a statement. "The escalation to a contempt vote under these circumstances is unwarranted." 

Meanwhile, Comer said FBI officials confirmed Monday that the unclassified FBI-generated record "has not been disproven and is currently being used in an ongoing investigation by a confidential human source who provided information about the vice president by being involved in a criminal bribery scheme is a trusted, highly credible informant who has been used by the FBI for over ten years and has been paid over 6 figures." 

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House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., leads an organizational meeting for the 118th Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Republcan Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, also a member of the House Oversight Committee, said on Monday that the FBI is "afraid" the informant accusing President Biden of having been involved in a criminal bribery scheme with a foreign national while vice president could be "killed" if unmasked.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report