Rep. Stefanik Wants Answers From FBI on Hunter Biden Laptop and Mar-a-Lago

U.S. House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) attends at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on June 8, 2022. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

The conversation between Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY.) and FBI Director Christopher Wray during the March 9 House Intelligence Committee hearing was already icy and contentious when Stefanik asked Wray, “Do you believe the Hunter Biden laptop story is disinformation?”

Wray responded, “Well, I want to be careful about—there is an ongoing investigation that is relevant to that, so I have to be careful on what I can share on that here.”

Stefanik shot back, “Do you believe the Hunter Biden laptop story is disinformation?”

“I don’t think there’s anything I can share on that in an open setting,” Wray said.

Stefanik continued interrogating and asked, “Were you aware that the FBI personnel were in contact with Twitter regarding the Hunter Biden laptop story?”

“I don’t believe FBI personnel were in contact with Twitter about the Hunter laptop story, specifically,” Wray said. “I think there were people in contact with Twitter about Russian disinformation efforts.”

Stefanik responded, “Of which the Hunter Biden laptop story was included, according to the FBI.”

“Well, I think, I don’t know exactly what you’re looking at, but I’m happy to talk about what the FBI does and does not do with respect to social media companies,” Wray said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray (right), CIA Director William Burns, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Director of the National Security Agency Gen. Paul Nakasone, and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier testify during a House Select Committee on Intelligence hearing concerning worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 9, 2023. Win McNamee/Getty Images

‘The American People Deserve Answers’

Stefanik, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, questioned the FBI director during the hearing at which Wray and other top intelligence officials and spymasters testified and answered questions on “worldwide threats” to America.

Before the 2022 midterm elections, Stefanik was among a group of GOP members of congress declaring that if Republicans took back the House, on their legislative agenda would be a lot of fact-finding and investigation into the conduct of the FBI.  

The legislators were and remain focused on what they contend was FBI behind-the-scenes intrusion in the 2020 presidential campaign to suppress the truth about Hunter Biden’s laptop that, if reported, would hurt his father’s election chances. 

A man walks past "The Mac Shop" in Wilmington, Del., on Oct. 21, 2020. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Also of concern was the decision-making and motivation of the bureau related to the raid on former President Donald Trump’s Palm Beach home Mar-a-Lago, an action that the lawmakers call federal overreach and a witch hunt.

Stefanik was making good on her pledge and did not let up on Wray during the hearing.

“Were you aware that the FBI had Hunter Biden’s laptop since December of 2019?” asked Stefanik.

“I can’t speak to exactly when we had a laptop available,” said Wray. “There is, as you know, an ongoing investigation run by the U. S. attorney out of Delaware from the prior administration that we continue to work very closely with.”

Stefanik retorted, “And we have an ongoing investigation as well.”

“And our Baltimore field office is working very hard with that U.S. attorney, and I expect them to pursue that case as far as it takes,” said the FBI director.

Not satisfied, Stefanik said, “This stonewalling, Director Wray; the American people deserve answers, and this is unacceptable.”

A police car sits outside former President Donald Trump's residence at Mar-A-Lago, in Palm Beach, Fla., on Aug. 8, 2022, as the FBI searches his home for classified documents. GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images

Stefanik then switched her inquiry to another episode of FBI intelligence and actions for which she and her GOP colleagues want answers.

Stefanik asked, “Lastly, did you sign off on the Mar-a-Lago raid?”

“Well, first off, it was not a raid—it was an execution of a search warrant,” Wray said.

“Did you sign off on the execution of a search warrant?”

Wray replied, “May I finish? Second, I don’t sign off on individual search warrants, in that case, or in any other.”

“Did Attorney General Merrick Garland sign off to your awareness?” asked Stefanik.

“I can’t speak to the attorney general,” said Wray.

Stefanik pressed: “Was there dissent at senior levels of the FBI about the conducting of the search warrant?”

The FBI director responded, “I can’t speak to internal discussions among the FBI or among the FBI and the Department of Justice.”

To which Stefanik replied, “Even though it’s been reported in the Washington Post?”