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The Justice Department signaled Friday that it is unlikely to share information about ongoing criminal investigations with the new GOP-controlled House, in a move sure to frustrate Republicans in the chamber.
In a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, responding to a deluge of document requests, the DOJ said “all oversight requests must be balanced against the department’s interests in protecting the integrity of its work.”
The letter added: “The Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law independently and impartially requires that we maintain the integrity of our investigations, prosecutions and civil proceedings and avoid even the impression that our efforts are influenced by anything other than the law. law and the facts.”
House Republicans have made it clear they intend to investigate the Justice Department’s handling of politically sensitive investigations, including its role in the ongoing special prosecutors’ investigations into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified material and former President Donald Trump.
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee promptly responded to the letter, tweet Friday afternoon: “Why is DOJ afraid to cooperate with our investigation?”
The letter is an early sign of the hurdles Jordan is likely to face, especially as he attempts to investigate the Justice Department and FBI. House Republicans were especially eager to delve into the Justice Department’s ongoing investigations, even authorizing a judiciary subcommittee charged with investigating the alleged “weaponization” of the federal government, including “pending criminal investigations”.
The letter sheds light on how the department will resist providing information related to ongoing investigations, even as the department pledged on Friday to accommodate lawmakers’ requests where possible, citing former President Ronald Reagan.
“As President Reagan explained in his 1982 directive on responding to congressional requests for information, the ‘tradition of lodging’ should be ‘the primary means of resolving inter-industry conflicts,'” the letter said.
Jordan is asking the department to provide documents related to the appointment of Robert Hur as special counsel in the Biden documents investigation, as well as the selection of Trump-appointed US attorney John Lausch to lead the initial review of the case , in addition to a wide range of internal and external communication on the matter.
Last week, Jordan sent new letters to several of Biden’s administration officials, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Drug Enforcement Administration Chief Anne Milgram, detailing his oversight requests and demands for documents relevant to the investigations of the Judiciary Committee reiterated.
“Government holdbacks must stop,” Jordan wrote, underscoring his plans to aggressively pressure top Biden officials even as the commission’s investigations are in their infancy.
“House Judiciary Republicans are committed to holding every agency accountable under the new majority and will use mandatory processes, if necessary, to get answers for the American people,” he added.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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