🇺🇸 In the FBI We Trust?

Good morning, and happy Monday. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel who serve on the USS Wasp will welcome aboard a furry, four-legged friend soon. Meet Ike, a 2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever.

Plus, should President Joe Biden call in this Obama to be his running mate in 2024? One opinion columnist thinks so…

Also, today’s partner is trying to solve the tricky problem of knowing where and when to go for a night out. With BarGlance you can see how busy your favorite bar is, where your friends are, and what's going on around town. Give it a glance.

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Right: 'Woke' Cultural Marxism an 'Existential Threat to Society' Gov. Ron DeSantis

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Indian Train Crash Aftermath, Small Plane Down in DC, Great Whites More Common

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US: Jet fighters chase small plane in Washington D.C. area before it crashes (Reuters)

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FBI

In the FBI We Trust?

FBI Director Christopher Wray is facing a potential contempt of Congress charge, after refusing to comply with a subpoena. Republican members of Congress have demanded he supply a document that they allege connects President Biden to the receipt of a bribe, back when he was Vice President.

Reporting from The Left: FBI director speaks with congressional Republicans about Biden document dispute (CNN)

Reporting from The Right: Republicans to hold FBI Director Wray in contempt of Congress over Biden document (Fox News)

From The Flag: Two weeks ago we covered the initial allegations from House Republicans that Biden had engaged in a pay-for-play scheme, selling influence and policy decisions for cash. Here’s more from both sides.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

White House Pushes Back, Calls it a GOP-Led Political Attack

• The White House has made it clear this is a politically motivated attack coming from Republicans in a bid to make Biden look bad.

• GOP lawmakers, including Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, allege this document is a big deal, but have provided nothing to support that.

• Rep. Comer is foolishly pushing forward in pursuit of alleged dirt that’s been linked to Rudy Giuliani – a known peddler of lies.

White House Savages Comer Investigations as ‘Fact-Free Politically-Motivated Goose Chase’ For ‘Fox News Spotlight’ Alex Griffing, Mediaite: “Ian Sams, the Biden White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, savaged House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) ... (dismissing) 'his so-called '‘investigations’' as mere 'political stunts.' Sams’ statement came in response to the latest phase of Comer’s ongoing battle with FBI Director Christopher Wray... Wray and Comer spoke on the phone... and Wray reportedly told Comer he could 'view the FD-1023 document, allegedly containing Biden bribery allegations, in person at FBI HQ,' ... '(Comer) has already admitted this isn’t about uncovering facts but about trying to hurt the President’s poll numbers, so the only question left is how long he will waste time, energy, and taxpayer dollars to support a fact-free politically-motivated goose chase simply to get media attention and the Fox News spotlight,' Sams concluded."

Comer says Wray confirmed existence of record reporting alleged Biden bribery scheme, which the White House strongly refutes Catherine Herridge, CBS News: “GOP Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said in a statement Wednesday that FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed 'the existence of an unclassified record that contains reporting of an alleged bribery scheme related to then-Vice President Joe Biden and a foreign national.' Comer believes the FBI record contains 'a precise description of how the alleged criminal scheme was employed as well as its purpose,' he and Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Chuck Grassley said in a letter to Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland in early May. ... While Comer and Grassley said in Wednesday's statement that the record includes ‘very serious and detailed allegations implicating the current President of the United States,’ they did not provide further evidence to support the claim.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: OMG: Rudy Giuliani Is Source Of Comer’s Biden ‘Evidence’ He’s Lucky Wray Didn’t Laugh In His Face Ursula Faw, PolitiZoom Opinion

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Grasping at Straws, Wray Refuses Subpoena: Congress Must Now Act

• The situation that’s developing surrounding this FD-1023 form is potentially more explosive than originally thought.

• Director Wray doesn’t seem to understand that the FBI has lost all benefits of the doubt and will no longer be given unlimited leeway.

• The FBI is blatantly stonewalling Congress over an explosive allegation, and holding Wray in contempt would be appropriate.

Breadcrumbs From A Buried FBI Source May Lead To A Bigger Biden Scandal Margot Cleveland, The Federalist: "After a confidential human source claimed then-Vice President Joe Biden agreed to accept money from a foreign national to affect policy decisions, FBI agents used what’s called an FD-1023 form to record the allegation. Now FBI Director Christopher Wray is defying a May 3 congressional subpoena to provide this form. (In response) Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer announced the House will move to hold the FBI director in contempt of Congress. ... (The) combination of all the details, big and small, that suggests the scandal set to unfold over the coming weeks will be bigger than anyone imagined. ... Whether these possibilities pan out remains to be seen, but what should be clear to all now is that the whistleblower knows where the evidence is buried — and Grassley and Comer have brought their shovels."

FBI Director Wray Doesn’t Have a Leg to Stand on in Contempt Fight Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review: "The era of FBI prestige is over. The FBI killed it, and director Chris Wray seems to be the last one to know. As a result, he’s about to be held in contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena that he has no lawful basis to defy. That is a contemptuous act, regardless of whether Wray is engaged in a cover-up or earnestly concerned that House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) is eroding the bureau’s capacity to safeguard intelligence sources and methods. ... Wray seems to think it’s still 1995, or 2005, or even 2015, when an FBI director could, with a measure of credibility, assure Congress that the bureau conducts politically fraught probes with competence and non-partisan rectitude, and lawmakers could then be expected to back down from making disclosure demands, fearing the public might decide they were obstructing the FBI’s good work."

Congress MUST keep up pressure on FBI’s Christopher Wray until he stops hiding the truth Editorial Board, New York Post

FLAG THIS

In the FBI We Trust? Feelings Differ Politically

Polling conducted late last year found Democrats are more likely than Republicans to say the FBI is trustworthy, and that its agents are fair.

Half of the respondents said they trust the FBI “most of the time” (40%) or “just about always” (10%).

Along party lines, just 4% of Republicans said they “just about always” trust the FBI to do what’s right, compared with 17% of Democrats.

A third of Republicans (32%) and Independents (30%) said they “hardly ever” trust the FBI to do what’s right – that was echoed by only 7% of Democrats.

FLAG FINDS

Night Out At A Glance, Worth The Squeeze, Uncrossed Wires

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WATERCOOLER

RFK Shot, Millennials Moving Right, Why Mr. T Stopped Wearing Gold

Shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy is shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary.

NYT: Millennials Are Not an Exception. They’ve Moved to the Right.

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Slate: Think Again Before Letting Your Kid on a Trampoline

Today I Learned that Mr. T stopped wearing virtually all his gold, one of his identifying marks, after helping with the cleanup after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He said, "I felt it would be insensitive and disrespectful to the people who lost everything, so I stopped wearing my gold.”