Back in June of 2023, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) went nuclear on FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate over whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had covered up evidence that President Joe Biden had been involved in a $5 million bribery scheme when he was the vice president. The explosive hearing came during a furious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
During the contentious hearing, Sen. Cruz said, browbeating Abbate, “You provide the 17 recordings so we can assess what is the evidence, the specific, credible evidence that Joe Biden personally took a $5 million bribe. If you are not, every one of you should be deeply concerned about the damage being done to the integrity of the institutions in which you operate.”
Continuing, he noted that he regularly got whistleblower reports about FBI weaponization of the law and politicization, saying, “My office hears regularly from FBI agents and from Assistant US attorneys who are likewise concerned about the politicization and weaponization of the Department of Justice and the FBI and this is profoundly damaging to the rule of law in our nation.”
Cruz then demanded answers on the Biden bribery scheme, snapping, “Last month, a whistleblower brought to life the existence in the FBI of a report in FD 1023 in which the informant alleges that President Biden and his family members engaged in a $5 million bribery scheme during his time as Vice President Deputy Director Abbate, is it true that the FBI has a report making those allegations?”
Abbate refused to answer, saying, “I’m not going to comment on that, Senator.” Cruz fired back, “And why is that?” Abbate furiously responded that it was an investigation, so he wouldn’t speak on it, saying, “I’m just not going to comment on information we received investigations.”
Cruz snapped back that Abbate had to answer his questions about President Biden’s alleged corruption because of the FBI’s obligation to the American people, telling him, “You owe an obligation to the American people to be candid about evidence of corruption by the president United States.”
Abbate again demurred and Cruz exploded, telling him that the FBI’s stonewalling and cover-ups were the reason why the public was so angry at it, saying, “I understand you don’t want to, and that’s why people are mad at the FBI, because you’re stonewalling and covering up serious allegations of evidence of corruption from the President.”
Cruz then asked again if the FBI official would answer questions about the alleged bribery scheme, saying, “Yesterday, Senator Chuck Grassley stood on the Senate floor and alleged that there are 17 recordings of this informant from Burisma, the Ukrainian Natural Gas Company. 15 of them are recordings, voice recordings of him talking to Hunter Biden. Two of them are voice recordings of him talking to Joe Biden. Deputy Director Abbate. Does the FBI have 17 voice recordings laying out evidence of a bribery scheme.”
Later again, with Abbate again refusing to answer his questions, Cruz said, “I’ve had this conversation with Chris Ray too. This is why you are damaging the institution. The American people have a right to know whether there is serious, credible evidence that the President of the United States took a $5 million bribe”
Watch him here: