Kennedy [FBI Oversight Hearing]: Who made the decision at the FBI to raid Mar-a-Lago for those documents?

Director Wray: I'm not sure there was a specific person that made the decision. It was the investigative team that was on that investigation, working with the prosecutors on the case.

Kennedy: Why didn't you just do a consent to search and avoid all the drama?

Wray: If you look at the affidavit in support of the search warrant…the pleadings that were filed by the prosecutors…they lay out, in a very detailed way, all the efforts that were made to ensure actual compliance short of preceding to a search, as well as, as now has been charged, actual obstruction of justice.

Director Wray: As somebody who was in FBI Headquarters on 9/11, I have never forgotten, as a young leader in the Justice Department at the time, it couldn't have been maybe four days after 9/11, President Bush, in the middle of all the tension that existed at the time, making a conscious point of speaking, I believe it was at a mosque, making clear that we are at war with terrorism, we're not at war with Islam. That really always kind of moved me that he had made that step at that time.

Blackburn: [FBI Oversight Hearing]: What specifically has the FBI done to investigate the claim that Epstein and others participated in, produced, possessed, and distributed CSAM [child sexual abuse material]?

Wray: As to the Epstein case specifically, it's been a while since I looked at that case. Obviously we looked at prosecutors to bring charges before he uh…

Blackburn: I realize that, but what we need from you is a complete investigation of why the FBI did not take this up, and then getting to the bottom of what is appearing to be an enormous sex trafficking ring, and listening to these survivors. I've tried to get a subpoena on the flight logs…I think people need to know who was on those planes, and how often they were on those planes…should those logs be made public? They've been heavily redacted.

Wray: It's been a while since I've looked at the specific case….let me offer to have my; let me get with my team and figure out if there is more information we can provide.

Blackburn: Even through the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, we never got to the bottom of this, and we have these survivors who say there is so much more, they swept it under the rug…you need to right that wrong.

Chairman Durbin: Senator Backburn…I want to make a point for the record, since I understand you made some statements about the Jeffery Epstein flight logs. There is a FOX reporter in the hallway who asked me about this, and I said I have not spoken to you one time about this issue. I think you will back me up on that…I didn't know that this was even a subject of your amendments…I don't know anything about this request on your part; I'd be happy to discuss it with you.

Blackburn: Mr. Chairman, I know, and I think you are fully aware that I had two amendments, one dealing with Epstein and Sotomayor. I brought it up previously. We have such an issue in this nation with the sex trafficking, human trafficking rings, that have proliferated across this country, and it is damaging the lives of women and girls. We have got to step up and help them getting to the bottom of what happened with this Jeffery Epstein case is going to be an important thing to do, and it should be at the top of this committee's to-do list.

Durbin: I didn't know that you offered that amendment…you and I have never discussed this, have we?

Blackburn: In committee, I brought up the subject matter of my amendments.

Durbin: Not in my presence.

Blackburn. Yes, sir. I'll pull the transcripts for you.

Durbin: I wish you would.