The Department of Justice this week informed House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) it won’t give his panel access to most of the information he has requested on the investigation into President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents.
In a letter sent to Jordan and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte cites numerous special rules governing special counsel investigations that prevent the DOJ from releasing such information, including the excuse that disclosing nonpublic information about the investigation could compromise the probe.
“Disclosures to Congress about active investigations risk jeopardizing those investigations and creating the appearance that Congress may be exerting improper political pressure or attempting to influence Department decisions in certain cases. Judgments about whether and how to pursue a matter are, and must remain, the exclusive responsibility of the Department,” the DOJ letter states.
“Your letter also requests non-public information that is central to the ongoing Special Counsel investigation,” the assistant attorney general told Jordan on Monday. “The Department’s longstanding policy is to maintain the confidentiality of such information regarding open matters.
“This policy protects the American people’s interest in the evenhanded, dispassionate, and effective administration of justice. Disclosing non-public information about ongoing investigations could violate statutory requirements or court orders, reveal road maps of our investigations, and interfere with the Department’s ability to gather facts, interview witnesses, and bring criminal prosecutions where warranted.” the letter Concluded.
Earlier this month, Jordan demanded that the DOJ produce documents related to the appointment of Robert Hur as special counsel in the 80-year-old president’s classified documents probe. The House Judiciary Committee leader also sought information on the selection of Trump-appointed Attorney John Lausch to conduct the initial review of the case and all documents between or among the DOJ, the FBI, and the White House related to classified records found at the Penn Biden Center and at Biden’s home.
Jordan further requested all communications between the DOJ and Biden’s lawyers related to the classified documents scandal and documents and communications related to the storage of the classified records at Biden’s office and his home, as well as all records tied to the discovery of the documents with classified markings.
DOJ’s latest response raises the question of whether Jordan will now move to issue subpoenas for the documents in question, something he told CNN last week he would consider doing if the department refused to hand them over.
“We’ll see, but we’re definitely looking at asking for documents via subpoena,” he said. “But we don’t know whether that will happen yet.”
Jordan’s spokesperson Russell Dye also responded to Monday’s letter by saying, “It’s concerning, to say the least, that the Department is more interested in playing politics than cooperating.”