DEMANDING ANSWERS FROM FBI
DIRECTOR CHRIS WRAY ABOUT THE
MAR-A-LAGO RAID.
JOINING ME NOW I IS A MEMBER OF
THAT INTEL COMMITTEE, RICK
CRAWFORD.
CONGRESSMAN, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
DO YOU BELIEVE THE WHITE HOUSE
KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THE RAID
BEFORE IT HAPPENED?
>> WELL, I’M NOT SURE WHAT TO
BELIEVE THAT COMES OUT OF THE
MOUTH OF THE PRESS SECRETARY,
BUT I WOULD SAY THIS: IF THE
PRESIDENT DIDN’T AUTHORIZE IT,
WE HAVE REAL PROBLEMS.
IF THE PRESIDENT DID AUTHORIZE
IT, WE HAVE REAL PROBLEMS --
DAVID: GOOD POINT.
>> EITHER WAY, THIS IS A
PROBLEM.
DAVID: IS THE FBI BEING USED AS
A POLITICAL WEAPON?
NOT ONLY WAS HE A COMPETITOR
WITH PIPEDDEN, BUT DONALD
TRUMP -- PRESIDENT BIDEN, BUT
DONALD TRUMP STILL COULD BE A
COMPETITOR IN 2024.
I MEAN, IT JUST LOOKS BAD,
DOESN’T IT?
>> IT LOOKS TERRIBLE.
AND WHAT THIS IS, IS A
CONTINUATION OF WHAT WE SAW IN
2016 --
DAVID: YEAH.
>> -- WHERE WE SEE THE FBI BEING
USED AS A POLITICAL WEAPON
AGAINST A PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE.
NOW, LOOK, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS
NOT DECLARED THAT HE’S A
CANDIDATE IN 2024 YET.
AND THAT A MAY BE WHY THEY’VE
DONE THIS, WAS THIS COULD BE A
PREEMPTIVE STRIKE.
KEEP IN MIND THAT MY COLLEAGUE,
ELISE STEFANIK, HAD LANGUAGE IN
THE IAA A COUPLE YEARS AGO THAT
WAS SPECIFICALLY WRITTEN TO
PREVENT THIS KIND OF THING FROM
HAPPENING, AND IT SPECIFIED
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES OR OTHER
FEDERAL CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION.
SO WE SHOULD HAVE GONE A LITTLE
BIT FURTHER AND SAID FORMER
PRESIDENTS.
BUT WE THOUGHT REALLY WE WERE
DOING THE RIGHT THING IN
INSERTING THAT LANGUAGE INTO THE
INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT.
BUT, CLEARLY, THE FBI DIDN’T GET
THE MESSAGE, AND I I THINK THIS
IS WHERE THEY SORT OF OBEY THE
LETTER OF THE LAW, BUT THEY
CLEARLY OVERSTEPPED THE SPIRIT
OF THE LAW, AND WHAT THEY DID
WAS REALLY BETRAY WHAT THEY’RE
ALL ABOUT, AND THAT IS TO BE AN
ATTACK ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT
PARTY.
DAVID: CONGRESSMAN, DECADES AGO
WE HAD SOMETHING CALLED THE
CHURCH COMMITTEE, I THINK IT WAS
1975.
SENATOR CHURCH HAD THIS
COMMITTEE TO HAUL IN A LOT OF
FBI ABUSES THAT TOOK PLACE
DURING THE NIXON ADMINISTRATION.
WE THOUGHT WE STRAIGHTENED IT
OUT.
CHEERILY, WE DIDN’T. -- CLEARLY,
WE DIDN’T AS YOU MENTIONED THE
HISTORY.
WASHINGTON TIMES, BY THE WAY,
SUGGESTED THERE SHOULD BE A NEW
CHURCH COMMITTEE.
THEY WRITE AN EDITORIAL SAYING
WE NEED A NEW CHURCH COMMITTEE
TO PAT -- THE A PAT IF EARN OF
LAW BREAKING AND INDIFFERENCE TO
LEGAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNMENTAL
NORMS AMONG THE BUREAUCRACIES OF
THE FBI AND DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE HAS NOW BECOME SO
OBVIOUS AND SO EGREGIOUS, THAT
CONGRESS MUST EXAMINE THE
ACTIVITIES OF THOSE CHARGED WITH
SAFEGUARDING THE UNITED STATES
AND HER CITIZENS.
NOW, YOU AND I KNOW CONGRESS IS
NOT GOING TO DO THAT UNDER
CURRENT LEADERSHIP.
BUT IN NOVEMBER THAT MIGHT
CHANGE.
YOU GUYS MIGHT TAKE OVER.
BUT THAT STILL LEAVES MANY
MONTHS, ABOUT 6-7 MONTHS BEFORE
YOU GUYS ARE IN POWER EVEN IF
YOU WIN IN NOVEMBER.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO UNTIL
THEN?
>> WELL, I THINK WHAT WE’RE
PROBABLY GOING TO SEE IS WE’RE
GOING TO GO TO ADAM SCHIFF WHO
IS THE CHAIRMAN OF THE COMMITTEE
THAT HAS THE EXCLUSIVE AUTHORITY
TO CONDUCT OVERSIGHT OVER THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY.
OF WHICH THE FBI IS A MEMBER.
SO THIS CLEARLY IS WITHIN THE
PURVIEW OF THE INTELLIGENCE
COMMITTEE TO CONDUCT THAT
OVERSIGHT.
WILL ADAM SCHIFF GO AHEAD AND GO
ALONG WITH AN INVESTIGATION?
ODDS ARE, NO --
DAVID: YEAH, I WAS GOING TO SAY,
THE ANSWER IS VERY SIMPLE,
CONGRESSMAN.
IT IS A BIG N-O.
[LAUGHTER]
>> RIGHT.
AND WHAT THAT MEANS WHAT WE’RE
GOING TO HAVE TO DO IN THE NEW
CONGRESS IS TAKE THAT INITIATIVE
ON OURSELVES.
WE ARE PREPARED TO DO THAT,
HAPPY TO DO THAT, THAT’S THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE --
DAVID: UNFORTUNATELY, THOUGH,
THAT’S AFTER A BIG ELECTION, AND
WE’VE GOT THE MIDTERMS.
>> YEAH.
DAVID: AND A LOT OF THIS, AS YOU
SUGGEST, MAY HAVE BEEN BEEN DONE
TO INFLUENCE THAT ELECTION
COMING UP IN NOVEMBER.
ARE YOU SAYING THERE’S VIRTUALLY
NOTHING REPUBLICANS CAN
COBETWEEN NOW AND THE TIME YOU
MIGHT TAKE OVER MANY JANUARY?
>> WELL, I’M NOT SURE THAT
THERE’S NOTHING WE CAN DO, BUT
THIS IS ONE OF THE CONSEQUENCES
ELECTIONS HAS, IS THAT YOU PUT
PEOPLE LIKE ADAM SCHIFF IN
CHARGE OF A REALLY IMPORTANT
COMMITTEE, AND HE TURNS IT INTO
A POLITICAL ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT
PARTY.
THAT’S REALLY A SHAME AND DOES A
DISSERVICE TO THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
LOOK, THESE ARE THE CONSEQUENCES
THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE NOW
HAVING TO DEAL WITH.
AND SO I THINK THAT IT HAS
ABSOLUTELY SHAKEN THE FAITH OF
THIS INSTITUTION, ONCE VAUNTED
INSTITUTION, TO ITS CORE.
SO THERE HAS TO BE A WHOLESALE
REVIEW OF JUST WHAT THE FBI IS
ALL ABOUT.
MAYBE, YOU KNOW, CHANGE THE
CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE FBI.
DAVID: IF, IN FACT, REPUBLICANS
WIN IN NOVEMBER, YOU TAKE OVER
IN JANUARY, WHO WOULD YOU LIKE
TO SUBPOENA TO GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE?
>> WELL, WHERE DO WE BEGIN?
I MEAN, CERTAINLY, FBI DIRECTOR
WRAY HAS TO COME IN.
ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND
HAS TO COME IN.
BOTH OF THOSE TWO ARE ULTIMATELY
RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS.
AND THEN I THINK WE GO
DOWNSTREAM FROM THERE.
QUITE FRANKLY, ANYBODY IN THE
WHITE HOUSE THAT HAS ANY KIND OF
CONNECTION TO INTELLIGENCE
COMMUNITY WITH REGARD TO THESE
TYPES OF ACTIONS ARE FAIR GAME.
BUT, FIRST AND FOREMOST, FBI
DIRECTOR WRAY NEEDS ON CALLED ON
THE CARPET ALONG WITH MERRICK
GARLAND AND EXPLAIN WHY THEY
WOULD ENGAGE IN THIS.
LOOK, THIS IS A REPEAT OF 2016.
AND, LOOK, THEY’RE TRYING TO
AFFECT ELECTIONS JUST LIKE THEY
DID IN 016.
THEY’RE TRYING -- 2016.
THEY’RE TRYING TO AFFECT THE
OUTCOME POTENTIALLY OF THE 2022
ELECTIONS AND POSSIBLY THE 2024
ELECTION.
HAS TO STOP.
DAVID: DO YOU THINK THAT THEIR
ACTIVITIES COULD INFLUENCE 2024?
THAT IS, COULD WILL BE SOMETHING
HAPPENS -- COULD THERE BE
SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS BETWEEN
NOW AND JANUARY OR MAYBE EVEN
AFTER IF REPUBLICANS DON’T WIN
MT. FALL THAT COULD ARE PREVENT,
LEGALLY PREVENT DONALD TRUMP
FROM RUNNING IF HE DECIDES TO?
>> SO THE STATED GOAL OF THE
JANUARY 6TH COMMITTEE WAS
ESSENTIALLY TO SAY WE WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT DONALD TRUMP IS
INELIGIBLE FOR HOLDING MY
ELECTED OFFICE IN THE FUTURE.
THAT’S BEEN HAIR GOAL.
SO NOW WHAT WE SEE IS THE FBI
AND THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
HAVE PRETTY MUCH TAKEN THEM UP
ON THAT MISSION AND JOINED IN
AND SAID, OKAY, WE’LL HELP YOU
HERE.
AND HAY GO AND EXERCISE RAID ON
HIS HOME IN FLORIDA.
KEEP IN MIND THAT ANYBODY THAT
STEPS OUT OF LINE AS FAR AS
DEMOCRATS ARE CONCERNED ARE FAIR
GAME.
HENRY CUELLAR HAD A SIMILAR RAID
DAVID: YEAH, THE DEMOCRAT
CONGRESSMAN.
>> HE’S A DEMOCRAT CONGRESSMAN
IN SOUTH TEXAS, BUT BECAUSE HE
DOESN’T TOW THE LINE FOR THESE
LIBERALS AND ALL THE WOKENESS
GOING ON, THEY GO AFTER HIM.
DAVID: IT’S AMAZING.
>> NOBODY IS SAFE.
DAVID: WITH THIS DISREGARD FOR
LAW AND ORDER, THIS HAS TO BE
THE FINAL QUESTION, ARE YOU
CONCERNED THIS MIGHT BE
SHENANIGANS WITH THE ELECTIONS?
ARE YOU CONCERNED?
I KNOW YOU GUYS IN ARKANSAS HAVE
NEW ACTS IN YOUR ELECTION CODE
THAT TIGHTENS THINGS UP A BIT,
BUT ARE YOU WORRIED THERE MAY BE
SHENANIGANS IN.
>> WELL, I’M WORRIED BECAUSE IN
THOSE STATES WHERE THERE IS A
PROPENSITY, BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS
THAT OUR STATES ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR EXERCISING ELECTIONS, AND I
I THINK THE SECURITY IS GOING TO
BE HIGHER AND TIGHT THER THAN IT
WAS IN 2020.
BUT WE REALLY HAVE TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE EXERCISE DUE DILIGENCE
ON.