Two top Republican lawmakers condemned the FBI on Wednesday for failing to comply with a House subpoena regarding allegations of President Joe Biden's foreign connections during his time as vice president.
On Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky argued that the FBI's offer to accommodate their request differently "indicates the document is real."
They requested a document from the agency earlier this month which allegedly details Biden, then vice president, engaging in an exchange of money for policy decisions with a foreign adversary.
The file is an unclassified FD-1023 form, which ABC News reported likely means it originated from an informant. Comer and Grassley said they received a tip about it from an anonymous federal whistleblower.
"So the question remains, what did the FBI do to investigate very serious allegations from an apparent trusted FBI source implicating then-Vice President Biden?" Grassley said, noting that the FBI's rejection letter "raises additional questions."
Comer insisted the FBI has failed to provide the record and inform his panel, which officially issued the subpoena, whether they even investigated the accusations.
"The FBI's position is 'trust, but you aren't allowed to verify.' That is unacceptable," Comer said. "We plan to follow up with the FBI and expect compliance with the subpoena."
A leak of the rejection letter from Christopher Dunham, the FBI's acting assistant director for congressional affairs, was featured in the New York Post earlier Wednesday.
"Information from confidential human sources is unverified and, by definition, incomplete," Dunham wrote, maintaining it should be kept private to protect sources.
"Confidential human sources often provide information to the FBI at great risk to themselves and their loved ones," he said. "The information they provide also can create significant risks to others who may be referenced in their reporting."
It came hours after Comer held a news conference alongside other congressional Republicans, identifying nine Biden family members who allegedly received foreign income under suspicious circumstances.