Wray testified publicly for the first time since pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol nearly two months ago. He was pressed by Democrats and Republicans about the failures that took place during the Jan. 6 attack and how his agency is looking to thwart other potential domestic threats.
Here are some key moments from his testimony:
He refuted claims Antifa was at the Capitol riot and knocked down conspiracy theories that rioters were “fake Trump protesters”: Wray made clear that Antifa and other left-wing groups were not part of the violence on Jan. 6, which he called “domestic terrorism” — even as several Republicans sought to use the hearing as an opportunity to highlight the threat posed by those groups rather than focus on the Capitol attack. “We have not, to date, seen any evidence of anarchist violent extremists or people subscribing to Antifa in connection to the 6th,” Wray told the Senate committee. He also told lawmakers Tuesday that the FBI has not seen any evidence indicating that the rioters who took part in the Capitol attack were “fake Trump protesters.”
He defended his agency’s warnings before the attack: Wray described how the FBI quickly shared an intelligence report known as “Norfolk memo,” about online chatter before Jan. 6, in three ways with other law enforcement agencies, after receiving the information from the FBI’s Norfolk field office. He said it was shared in an email to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a verbal command post briefing in the Washington field office and at FBI headquarters that involved police in DC, and through the law enforcement portal, according to Wray. His answers to at least three senators’ questions today about the Norfolk report were in contrast to testimony last week from law enforcement chiefs around the Capitol who largely blamed security failures on a lack of intelligence that had been communicated.
He shared where the Capitol riot investigation stands: Wray opened his testimony on Capitol Hill today by saying that the behavior of the rioters on Jan. 6 was “criminal” and has “no place in our democracy.” Wray added that “tolerating” the actions of those who sieged the Capitol “would make a mockery of our nation’s rule of law.” Wray said that so far in the investigation: People have sent the FBI more than 270,000 digital media tips, the FBI has opened hundreds of investigations in all but one of their 56 field offices around the country and that the FBI has arrested more than 270 people to date and more than 300 when you include the FBI’s partner agencies. The investigation into the death of Officer Brian Sicknick is still ongoing, Wray said.
FBI is collecting data for a national use of force database
From CNN's Christina Carrega
FBI Director Christopher Wray said his agency is working with local police departments and law enforcement agencies across the country to create a use of force database.
Wray said during today’s Senate hearing that while he cannot mandate the police agencies to provide the information, he has encouraged them to do so because color of law investigations is a topic that’s not going away.
Wray didn’t say how far into their research they are, but said they have to hit an 80% threshold of police departments “before the data is considered statistically reliable.
Wray said the FBI is pursuing “quite a number of” color of law investigations across the country.
“We’re also trying to contribute by doing different forms of training and outreach to state and local police departments, so they understand better, kind of, where the lines are and where we fit into it,” Wray said.
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Wray explains why FBI didn't "sound the alarm" to Senate when extremist groups posted intentions for Jan. 6
From CNN's Christina Carrega
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, asked why the FBI didn’t “sound the alarm” to the Senate when extremist groups like the Proud Boys posted their intentions for Jan. 6 on social media and other forums.
“There is so much chatter, often unattributed to someone in a neatly identifiable way, where people are saying unbelievably horrific, angry, combative things, using language about beheading and shooting and explosives and things like that,” Wray said.
Blumenthal said he understood Wray’s response but, “what I don’t understand is why this chatter, raw intelligence, didn’t prompt a stronger warning, an alarm going to the very top of the United States Congress, because clearly the United States Congress was under severe threat.”
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Wray tells senator they share same goal of "deterring and reducing hate crime"
From CNN's Christina Carrega
FBI Director Christopher Wray says the FBI is rolling out a new system that will combat against underreporting of hate crimes.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, asked Wray if the “No Hate Act” that aims to improve the accuracy of hate crime reporting and provide resources for state hate crime hotlines that is a “good idea” especially with the rise in attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Blumenthal endorsed and has supported the legislation since 2019.
Wray said he wasn’t familiar with the bill, but assured Blumenthal that they share the same goal of “both deterring and reducing hate crime but also particularly relevantly promoting better reporting, more complete reporting of hate crime,” Wray said.
He went on to say that the FBI is introducing a system called NIBRS (National Incident-Based Reporting System).
Blumenthal told Wray that the “No Hate Act” would “lead to better reporting” since 87% of hate crimes are underreported now with the current system.
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FBI director doesn't denounce lawmakers who endorse QAnon when pressed by Democratic senator
From CNN's Christina Carrega
Sen. Richard Blumenthal
Demetrius Freeman/Pool/Getty Images
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said he is “disappointed” that FBI Director Christopher Wray dodged the opportunity to denounce lawmakers who endorse the ideologies of QAnon.
Blumenthal asked Wray if the continued threat of domestic terrorism is worse “when prominent elected officials including members of Congress endorse QAnon theories.”
In October, CNN reported that several congressional candidates engaged with the QAnon conspiracy theory of those mentioned, Marjorie Taylor Greene went on to win a seat in Georgia’s 14th congressional district.
West Virginia legislator Derrick Evans resigned after he participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection. GOP Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who is part of the Senate Judiciary Committee where today’s hearing is taking place, was seen outside of the Capitol on the day of the attack raising his fist in solidarity.
Blumenthal interrupted Wray for not immediately condemning the idea that lawmakers support the insurrectionists and asked the question in another way.
“When members of Congress, as has happened endorse the QAnon theory, doesn’t it worsen the threat of violence?” Blumenthal asked.
Wray still did not take the opportunity to denounce the behavior.
“Well, I’ll follow up in another setting, but I am frankly disappointed that you’re not discouraging one of the sources of incitement which is prominent public officials endorsing a theory that in turn resulted in storming the United States Capitol,” Blumenthal said.
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GOP senator expresses frustration with "10 years" of empty responses from the FBI
From CNN's Christina Carrega
Sen. Mike Lee
Pool
Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, pressed FBI Director Christopher Wray on the “over the last 10 years” of frustrations stemming from repeated attempts to get answers from the agency.
Lee said that the “most consistent theme” in the answers about questions regarding collecting metadata from communications providers “and so forth” has been “trust us. Don’t worry.”
Wray responded to Lee about his concerns especially when it came to the Justice Department’s Inspector General’s 2019 report on “Crossfire Hurricane.”
“I ordered, at the time, over 40 corrective actions to go above and beyond the recommendations of the inspector general’s report and those have been implemented. Those include everything from strengthening our procedures to ensure accuracy and completeness, to make sure that the court gets all the information it’s supposed to changes in our protocols for CHS — Confidence in Human Sources — training changes, we, I created a new office of internal audit,” Wray said.
Even with that response Lee needed more assurance from Wray.
In a later exchange with Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, Wray said, “it pains and frustrates me when we’re not able to be as responsive as you need us to be. And I commit to doing my best to see if we can work with you all to, to get better on that front.”
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FBI director urges Americans: "See something, say something" to combat domestic terrorism
From CNN's Katelyn Polantz
Graeme Jennings/Pool/AP
FBI Director Christopher Wray urged Americans to take a “see something, say something” approach with hate speech and threats especially on social media and online, as the bureau attempts to combat terrorism threats in a way not seen since the terrorism crackdown after Sept. 11, 2001.
“That’s going to be our best source of information to prevent this,” Wray said.
He said people who notice threats online can contact state and local law enforcement, or local FBI field offices.
He also spoke candidly about how hard it is to use social media to predict threats from Americans who have become political extremists.
“Some angry demented guy living in mom’s basement—not that there’s anything wrong with that—in one part of the country is now able to communicate with a similarly angry guy in grandma’s attic in another part of the country, and they get each other spun up now … the amount of angry, hateful, unspeakable, combative, even violent rhetoric on social media exceeds what anybody in their worst imagination is out there,” Wray said on Tuesday to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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Sen. Graham suggests FBI identify and define domestic terrorism organizations
From CNN's Christina Carrega
Pool
South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said “it’s time” to think about defining domestic terrorism organizations.
During a rapid-fire question and answer portion of questions with FBI Director Christopher Wray, Graham pressed Wray to define various groups that have committed acts of domestic terrorism, White supremacy, and racist attacks for decades.
Read their exchange:
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Wray says FBI sent "more than just an email" to law enforcement agencies about online chatter before Jan. 6
From CNN's Katelyn Polantz
Pool
Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar questioned FBI Director Christopher Wray about the communication failures that occurred on Jan. 6 and the much-discussed Norfolk memo, named for the FBI office in Virginia where it originated.
Wray described how the FBI quickly shared an intelligence report about online chatter before Jan. 6, saying they provided information in three ways to other law enforcement agencies, after receiving the information from the FBI’s Norfolk field office.
The Norfolk memo has become central to questions about whether law enforcement agencies protecting the Capitol had enough sound intelligence to prepare before the siege.
Wray’s answers to at least three senators’ questions on Tuesday about the Norfolk report fill out where and how the intelligence was shared, and stands in contrast to testimony last week from law enforcement chiefs around the Capitol who largely blamed security failures on Jan. 6 on a lack of intelligence that had been communicated. Former US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund told House lawmakers, for example, that he only learned days before last week’s hearing about the bombshell FBI memo.
Wray said the Norfolk report was passed to law enforcement partners, including the Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police Department within an hour after it was received, he said on Tuesday.
It was shared in three ways, he said: an email to the Joint Terrorism Task Force, a verbal command post briefing in the Washington field office and at FBI headquarters that involved police in DC, and through the law enforcement portal.
Read a part of Klobuchar and Wray’s exchange in today’s hearing:
“So having said that, I do not consider what happened on January 6th to be an acceptable result and that is why we’re looking at figuring how to the process could be improved,” Wray continued.
Wray called the memo “raw, unverified, uncorroborated information” that had been gathered from online posts, but was notable enough for the FBI to share with police in Washington, DC, almost immediately.
Wray did not see the Norfolk report until after Jan. 6, he added.
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Wray says "more arrests" gives FBI insight on domestic terrorism
From CNN's Christina Carrega
FBI Director Christopher Wray says the agency is “always looking to develop more and better sources” to combat domestic terrorism and counterterrorism threats, but the key to gain intelligence is through arrests.
Wray was responding to a question from Ranking Member Chuck Grassley, who referenced comments from former acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and former Attorney General William Barr, that the FBI has programs focused on White supremacy and militia extremism but has “significantly weaker anarchic extremism programs.”
Wray said that the more arrests the FBI make “the more from those cases we learn about who else their contacts are, what their tactics are, what their strategies are, etc. and that makes us smarter and better able to get in front of the threat, going forward.”
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Wray says the investigation into Officer Brian Sicknick's death is still ongoing
Grassley said there have been “conflicting reports about” Sicknick’s cause of death and asked Wray if the FBI has determined what happened and if a homicide investigation has launched.
Wray said the investigation is still ongoing. “As soon as there are information that we could appropriately share, we want to be able to do that, but at the moment the investigation is still ongoing,” Wray said.
Wray said that the agency is not at a point where he could “disclose or confirm a cause of death.”
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Wray refutes claims that Antifa and leftists added to Capitol riot
From CNN's Katelyn Polantz and Zachary Cohen
Graeme Jennings/Pool/Getty Images
FBI Director Christopher Wray resoundingly said Antifa and other leftists were not part of the violence at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“We’re coming after it” if there’s violence from both the left and the right, he added, but in the Capitol, there wasn’t evidence of leftists adding fuel to the insurrection.
Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin had asked Wray if he had seen evidence that the attack was organized by “fake Trump protesters.”
“We have not seen evidence of that, at this stage, certainly,” Wray responded.
This knocks down a baseless claim that has been pushed by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson in recent weeks, as he has sought to downplay the damage committed by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
More than 260 defendants — many of them professing allegiance to Trump, disgust for Congress and support of revolution — have been charged in federal court related to their actions in and around the US Capitol siege on January 6.
Previously, nearly a dozen Trump supporters charged in connection with the US Capitol insurrection have said that Antifa and other left-wing groups weren’t involved in the attack, further debunking the conspiracy among Trump supporters.
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FBI director: Some insurrectionists were "racially motivated violent extremists" advocating White supremacy
Mandel Ngan/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin asked FBI director Christopher Wray if he agreed that White supremacists and other violent extremists attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Wray said the bureau is seeing “quite a number of what would we call militia violent extremists” as the FBI builds its cases agains the rioters. He specifically mentioned the groups the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
He added that they have seen in their investigations instances of “racially motivated violent extremists” who advocate for White supremacy.
Wray also noted that during his tenure as FBI director, he’s seen a growth in the number of investigations related to racially motivated violent extremism.
“When it comes to racially motivated violent extremism, the number of investigations and number of arrests has grown significantly on my watch. And the number of arrests for example of racially motivated violent extremists who are what you would categorize as White supremacists last year, was almost triple the number it was in my first year as director,” Wray said.
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Domestic terrorism has been "metastasizing across the country for a long time now," FBI director says
Mandel Ngan/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
FBI Director Christopher Wray pushed back on claims that his agency has not been tackling domestic terrorism, saying in his opening statement today that the FBI has been “sounding the alarm” for a “number of years now.”
“At the FBI we’ve been sounding the alarm on it for a number of years now. I’ve been sounding the alarm about domestic terrorism since I think just about my first month on the job when I first started appearing up on the hill and I’ve spoken about it, and in maybe a dozen different congressional hearings, so whenever we’ve had the chance we’ve tried to emphasize this is a top concern and remains so for the FBI,” Wray said.
The FBI director noted that his agency viewed this as such a “critical threat,” that back in June of 2019 it elevated “racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism to our highest threat priority” at the same level with “with ISIS and home grown violent extremism.”
“Let me make one thing clear, the FBI will not tolerate agitators and extremists who plan or commit violence, period. And that goes for a violent extremists of any stripe,” Wray told lawmakers. “As I’ve said many times, we do not investigate ideology, but we focus on acts of violence and violations of federal law. And when we see those, when we see those, we will bring to bear the full weight of our resources, our experience and our partnerships.”
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Where things stand in the Jan. 6 investigation, according to the the FBI director
Pool
FBI Director Christopher Wray opened his testimony on Capitol Hill today by stating that the bureau views the attack on Jan. 6 as “domestic terrorism.”
He said the behavior that day by the rioters was “criminal” and has “no place in our democracy.” Wray added that “tolerating” the actions of those who sieged the Capitol “would make a mockery of our nation’s rule of law.”
Here’s where the FBI director said things stand with the Jan. 6 investigation:
People have sent the FBI more than 270,000 digital media tips.
The FBI has opened hundreds of investigations in all but one of their 56 field offices around the country.
The FBI has arrested more than 270 people to date and more than 300 when you include the FBI’s partner agencies, Wray said.
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The FBI director is testifying now. Here's what you need to know about his role in the riot investigation.
From CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Kevin Liptak and Caroline Kelly
FBI Director Christoper Wray’s team of federal investigators is currently chasing thousands of leads in twin efforts to prosecute people involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol and to try to prevent feared follow-up attacks in Washington and around the country.
Law enforcement officials have indicated to CNN that authorities missed key signs ahead of the siege, which left five dead and the Capitol ransacked, and the FBI’s preparations leading up to the day of the attack on the Capitol have come under scrutiny.
The Washington Post reported in January that the FBI warned of a violent “war” at the US Capitol in an internal report issued a day before the deadly siege, but it wasn’t acted on urgently enough to prevent the domestic terrorist attack.
During the transition, President Biden signaled his plan to keep Christoper Wray on board— if he wasn’t fired first by former President Trump. Like all FBI directors, Wray has a 10-year term. Wray was appointed by Trump in 2017 and faced criticism from the ex-president on a number of issues.
Trump made little attempt to veil his disdain for Wray, who many of Trump’s allies have suggested to him is doing little to stamp out what they view as rampant corruption at the FBI. He complained privately that Wray refuses to rebuke his predecessor James Comey, has chastised those who recommended him for the job and has said he would love to replace him.
Wray had no reason to think he wasn’t on solid footing with the new Biden administration — despite the fact that White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not answer on Wednesday when asked if Biden had confidence in Wray.
“I have not spoken within him about specifically FBI Director Wray in recent days,” Psaki said, “but I’ll circle back if there’s more to convey.”
Psaki followed up on Jan. 21, tweeting: “I caused an unintentional ripple yesterday so wanted to state very clearly President Biden intends to keep FBI Director Wray on in his role and he has confidence in the job he is doing.”
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Committee chair slams FBI director for agency's response to threats from White supremacy groups
Pool
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, opened today’s hearing by calling the Jan. 6 insurrection a “tragic and harrowing day.”
Durbin went on to introduce a montage of footage from the Capitol riot.
“The hate on display that terrible day is not a new phenomenon in our country. America’s first domestic terror organization, the Ku klux Klan was born in the aftermath of the civil war to terrorize African Americans,” Durbin said.
“The insurrectionists who stormed on January 6th did not wear white robes and hoods. They might as well have. They have the latest incarnation of violent white supremacist movements that has terrorized fellow Americans on basis of race, and religion and national origin for more than 150 years,” he continued.
The Democrat slammed FBI director Christopher Wray for his agency’s response to White supremacy and possible threats.
Durbin called for unity in Congress to combat the threats of domestic terrorism.
“We need to be clear that the White supremacist and other extremists are the most significant domestic terrorism threat facing the United States today. I hope everyone in this room could look at facts and acknowledge this and we could come together on a bipartisan basis to defeat this threat,” Durbin said.
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The hearing just began. Here's what you need to know about today's testimony.
From CNN's Zachary Cohen
The Senate hearing with FBI Director Chris Wray just began in the chamber’s Judiciary Committee.
Wray will finally have to answer questions about the Jan. 6 insurrection. Today marks his first public testimony since the deadly riot occurred nearly two months ago.
The hearing will also be Wray’s first public appearance since the White House announced in January that he will not be replaced as FBI director after serving in the same role under former President Trump.
Wray’s team of federal investigators is currently chasing thousands of leads in twin efforts to prosecute people involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol and to try to prevent feared follow-up attacks in Washington and around the country.
While federal law enforcement officials have sought to reassure the American public in the months since the riot that they are up to the task on both fronts, their public remarks also lay bare the enormity of the challenge they face in tracking potential threats to not only the nation’s capital, but across the country.
The FBI director will be grilled soon on intelligence breakdowns that happened during the riot
From CNN's Zachary Cohen, Whitney Wild and Marshall Cohen
Today’s Senate hearing with FBI Director Christopher Wray follows another round of hearings that took place on Capitol Hill last week with former and current law enforcement officials about the security failures surrounding Jan. 6.
Law enforcement officials told lawmakers last week that they were prepared for the possibility of limited violence on Jan. 6 at the Capitol, but the intelligence available ahead of time did not warn of a coordinated attack like the insurrection that overwhelmed officers and led to multiple casualties.
Former House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving testified that intelligence assessments before the Jan. 6 attack incorrectly concluded that there was only a “remote” to “improbable” chance of a civil disturbance that day, according to prepared testimony.
Sen. Gary Peters revealed that an FBI report containing “troubling” information was given to US Capitol Police headquarters on the eve of Jan. 6 but never made it to the department’s leadership, a breakdown the Michigan Democrat said is “clearly a major problem.”
“How can you not get that vital intelligence on the eve of what’s going to be a major event?” Peters asked.
Sund responded that the information was “coming in as raw data,” though he acknowledged the information would have been helpful.
“I agree that’s something we need to look at. What’s the process and how do we streamline?” he said.
Sund added that the report prompted Capitol Police to discuss its plans with Metropolitan Police and expand its perimeter for the event, though he also said that the expansion was already underway.
Last week’s hearing, was the the first time Americans were listening in full on why intelligence and operations failed dramatically on Jan. 6 from the very people whose choices contributed to the crisis.
Wray is expected to be grilled in today’s Senate hearing about these intelligence failures and missteps, including why the FBI report did not prompt more action.
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Committee chair lays out the key questions he plans to ask FBI Director Wray today
From CNN's Ali Zaslav and Manu Raju
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, spoke to reporters yesterday ahead of FBI Director Christopher Wray testifying this morning, saying “there are many questions” for the director, particularly as “the head of the FBI has not appeared before the committee for an oversight hearing since July of 2019.”
The Illinois Democrat said other Capitol riot-related questions he thinks are important to get answers to include: “What did he know and when did he know it and who did he tell? Those are questions that have been raised in other hearings. But he is the man of the hour. As head of the FBI, I think he has a special position, place, to answer the question.”
On the Judiciary Committee’s domestic terrorism investigation, Durbin said, “We’re trying to get to the very basic question, is it a threat? (I believe it is). If so, what are we doing about it. Are putting the resources in the right place? Are we building up defenses to what these groups are now doing as they’re organizing across the country.”
He noted there would be a separate hearing on this.
