Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz asked Bryan Vorndran, the FBI Assistant Head of the Cyber Division, about where Hunter Biden’s laptop is and the official appeared to struggle with the answers.
WATCH it happen on video:
Here’s a transcript of the conversation with GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz and Bryan Vorndan:
GAETZ: “So where is it? The laptop?”
VORNDRAN: “Sir, I’m not here to talk about the laptop. I’m here to talk about the FBI cyber program.”
GAETZ: “You are the assistant director of FBI cyber. I want to know where Hunter Biden’s laptop is. Where is it?”
VORNDRAN: “Sir, I don’t know that answer.”
GAETZ: “That is astonishing to me. Has FBI cyber assessed whether or not Hunter Biden’s laptop could be a point of vulnerability allowing America’s enemies to hurt our country?”
VORNDRAN: “Sir, FBI cyber program is based on what’s codified in Title 18, or Title 18, Section 1030, a code which talks about computer intrusions, right? Using nefarious intent network.”
GAETZ: “You’ve talked about passwords here. I mean, Hunter Biden’s password on his laptop was hunter02. He drops it off at a repair store. I’m holding the receipt from Mac’s computer repair, where in December 2019, they turned over this laptop to the FBI. And what, now you’re telling me right here is that as the assistant director of FBI cyber, you don’t know where this is after it was turned over to you three years ago?”
VORNDRAN: “Yes, sir. That’s an accurate statement.”
GAETZ: “How are Americans supposed to trust that you can protect us from the next Colonial pipeline, if it seems that you can’t locate a laptop that was given to you three years ago from the First Family, potentially creating vulnerabilities for our country?”
VORNDRAN: “Sir, it’s not in the purview of my investigative responsibilities.”
GAETZ: “But that is shocking that you wouldn’t as the assistant director of cyber know whether or not there are international business deals, kickbacks, shakedowns that are on this laptop, that would make the First Family suspect to some sort of compromise. Mr. Assistant Director, have you assessed whether or not the First Family is compromised as a result of the Hunter Biden laptop?”
VORNDRAN: “Sir, as a representative of the FBI cyber program, it is not in the realm of my responsibilities to deal with the questions that you’re asking me.”
GAETZ: “Has anyone at FBI cyber been asked to make assessments whether or not the laptop creates a point of vulnerability?”
VORNDRAN: “Sir, we have multiple lines of investigative responsibility in the FBI. They’re all available on the public source.”
GAETZ: “I would think you’d know this one. I mean, I would think that if the President’s son, who does international business deals, referencing the now-president with the Chinese, with Ukrainians, I mean, have you assessed whether or not the Hunter Biden laptop gives Russia the ability to harm our country?”
VORNDRAN: “Sir, again, we can do this back and forth for the next couple of minutes. I don’t have any information about the Hunter Biden laptop or the investigation—“
GAETZ: “But should you? I mean, you’re the assistant director of FBI cyber—“
VORNDRAN: “By my — by the block and line chart, no, sir, I should not.”
GAETZ: “Who should — who should we put in that chair to ask questions about this laptop that FBI has had for three years?”
VORNDRAN: “Sir, I’m not — I’m not in a position to make a recommendation who should sit here—“
GAETZ: “So you don’t have it. You don’t know who has it. You don’t know where it is. You’re the assistant director, you know, earlier you talked about whether or not you were the Grant Hill or the Christian Laettner. It sounds like you’re the Chris Weber trying to call a timeout when you don’t have one. So who is it? Do you even know who has it, do you know who we should put in that chair to ask these questions to?”
VORNDRAN: “No, sir. I don’t know who has it.”
GAETZ: “Well, could you find out and tell us? You’re going to have to give us briefings thanks to Mr. Lieu and Mr. Massie’s question about whether or not the FBI was taking a $5 million test drive on the Pegasus system that was being used to target people in politics, people in government, people in the media, people in American life. So will you commit to give us a briefing as the assistant director of FBI cyber as to where the laptop is? Whether or not it’s a point of vulnerability, whether or not the American people should wonder whether or not the First Family is compromised?”
VORNDRAN: “Sir, I’d be happy to take your request back to our office.”
GAETZ: “Gosh. I mean, will you advocate for that briefing? As in — you will?”
VORNDRAN: “I will be happy to take your request back to the FBI headquarters.”
GAETZ: “Well — do you believe that that is a briefing that the Congress is worthy of having, I guess?”
GAETZ: “Well, right, but I mean, this is, this is a cyber asset.”
VORNDRAN: “It’s not a cyber asset.”
GAETZ: “This is a point of vulnerability. If there are passwords, if there are business deals, if there are references to things that could harm our country, like, you can’t even sit here right now and say that you know that there’s not a point of vulnerability. Maybe there are other crimes, maybe there are tax issues or whatever, but as it relates to our — I mean, is the First Family sufficient cyberinfrastructure to protect? You don’t even know if they’re compromised. Tell you what, Mr. Chairman, I seek unanimous consent to enter into the record of this committee the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop, which I’m in possession of.”
