'We Fund You': Thomas Massie Takes FBI Director Wray To Task On Jan. 6th Pipe Bomber In Heated Exchange

FBI Director Christopher Wray found himself visibly uncomfortable beneath the inquisitive gaze of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee under Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY). During Wray's testimony, the FBI director seemed stymied and uncomfortable with Massie's questioning about the January 6th pipe bomber specifically.

The tense questioning began with Massie asking Wray about the lack of response to a letter of inquiry sent to him in June by Massie and Chairman Jim Jordan.

According to CSPAN footage, he asked, "Director Wray, in light of information provided to us about the FBI’s investigation of the January 6th pipe bombs, in an interview with assistant director Stephen Dantuono, Chairman Jordan I sent you a letter a month ago. Some of the information that we found in that interview was that phone data that could have helped to identify the pipe bomber was corrupted. It was unusable. He also wasn't sure who found, or how the second bomb was found at the DNC. Do you know how the second bomb was found at the DNC? And when do you plan on answering our letter?"

In the exchange that followed, Massie reminded Wray who controls his funding, and demanded answers.

Director Christopher Wray: as to the letter, all worked with the department to make sure we can figure out what information we can provide. As you know, this is a very active, ongoing investigation, there are some restrictions on that.

Rep. Thomas Massie: Yes, we can handle classified information. We fund your department, so you need to provide that
.
Wray: It's not, respectfully, is not an issue of classification. It's an issue of commenting on ongoing criminal investigations, which is something that by long-standing department policy, we are restricted in doing. In fact the last administration actually strengthen those policies, partly –

Massie:  That's not our policy though. And we fund you so let's move on. Do you know how the second pipe bomb -- can you tell us how the second pipe bomb was found at the DNC?

Wray: Again, I'm not getting into that here.

Massie: 900 days ago is when this happened. You said you had total confidence we'd apprehend a subject. We've found video that looks like somebody, a passerby, miraculously found this pipe bomb at the DNC, and then notified the police. Miraculously I say because it was in specifically the same, the precise time to cause a maximum distraction from the events going on at the capitol. Can you show this video that we have please? I would like to know if the director has seen this.

Massie:  This is somebody with a mask on, wearing a hat. You're walking in front of the DNC, which is out of you on the right-hand side. We see him come into view. He goes to one police car, another police car. He's holding a backpack, he has a mask on, he's talking to the police, and within a minute they start scrambling. You see the camera turn to the pipe bomb at the location of the pie bomb. By the way, i believe that's a metro police officer not getting out of the car, and that's vice president elect detail in the black SUV parked 30 feet from the pipe bomb, eating lunch. Okay now we go over to the location of the pipe bomb. Cameras are scrambling. It appears to be that's not a coincidence. That the person with a backpack who walked by the bench and went to police and detail didn't do that accidentally. They had a purpose in mind, and what transpired after that was a result of information that person gave to them. If that person found the pipe bomb, would they be a suspect?

Wray: Well again, I don't to speculate about specific individuals. I will tell you we've done thousands of interviews, reviewed something like 40,000 video files, of which this is one, we've assessed 500 something tips.

Massie: Have you interviewed the person?

Wray: We have conducted all logical investigative steps and interviewed all logical individuals. At this point.