FBI director says bureau identified origin of Trump litmus test memo, removed contractor responsible

FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress Wednesday that his staff identified the source of the litmus test memo that showed security reviewers asked about a bureau employee's support for Donald Trump, opinion about the COVID-19 vaccine, and views of the Second Amendment and called the memo "inappropriate." 

Director Christopher Wray confirmed Just the News' reporting on this memo, but said the incident was isolated and the form was created by a contractor. 

"So, the document you are asking about is an interview outline we only recently learned about and, in my view, is completely inappropriate," Wray told the House Judiciary Committee, in response to a question from Wisconsin GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany. 

"I asked my team to get to the bottom of what happened and to ensure that it doesn't happen again. And, I've learned that its not an FBI form, its use was isolated, and that it was created, not by an FBI employee, but an outside contractor and that individual is no longer affiliated with the FBI." 

"We're sending what we have found to the office of Inspector General," he said and promised to cooperate with future investigations. 

But, the representatives of the whistleblower who first brought concerns about the memo to Congress pushed back on Wray's claims, saying their client told Congress that the problem was more wide spread than Wray let on in his testimony.

"Director Wray is hiding the ball on this. Another whistleblower to [Empower Oversight]--a registered Democrat and supervisor from within the FBI's Security Division--disclosed to [the Justice Department Inspector General] and to Congress that these kinds of questions were asked all the time in interviews, even if they weren't typed up in outlines ahead of time," President of Empower Oversight, Tristan Leavitt, posted to X. 

Wray also testified about his agency's investigation into Trump's would-be assassin and security at the Pennsylvania rally where the shooting took place.