Staff Reports
The Department of Justice (DOJ) declined a request from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) for information on its investigation into classified documents seized at the home and private office of President Biden. In a letter from Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Carlos Uriarte, the DOJ emphasized that their policy has always been to respect the confidentiality of such material pertaining to open proceedings.
#BREAKING: @Jim_Jordan and @RepMikeJohnson launch first investigation into @JoeBiden’s classified documents scandal. pic.twitter.com/sR8E5J2ZTd
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) January 13, 2023
Uriarte continued by stating that revealing non-public information about ongoing investigations could contravene legal requirements or court orders, expose the investigative plans, and interfere with the Department’s capacity to gather information, speak with witnesses, and bring criminal charges when necessary. He further pointed out that preserving confidentiality protects the legal rights, personal safety, and privacy interests of those who are subject to investigations or who help with them.
"…The Department’s longstanding policy is to maintain the confidentiality of such information regarding open matters."
Plenty of Linder Letter cites
Question now is how Rs respond pic.twitter.com/upctUXXUnE
— Nicholas Wu (@nicholaswu12) January 30, 2023
In response to the DOJ’s letter, Russell Dye, a spokesman for Jordan, expressed his concern that the Department was more interested in playing politics than cooperating. He further stated that members of the House Judiciary Committee were concerned about a double standard, as some of the Biden documents were found at a think tank that has received funds from communist China.
DOJ’s wrong to not comply with our investigations — even if the matter at hand is ongoing.
But now that the Houck case is over, will they answer our questions? pic.twitter.com/vXjfXz0CHP
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) January 31, 2023
The DOJ’s refusal to provide information has raised questions among members of the House Judiciary Committee. Many are wondering why the DOJ is so adamant about keeping the investigation confidential and if there is something they are trying to hide. While the DOJ has not provided any additional information on the matter, they have made it clear that they are not willing to compromise their policy of confidentiality.
The House Judiciary Committee has yet to comment on the DOJ’s response but it is clear that they are not satisfied with the lack of information being provided. It remains to be seen how this situation will be resolved but it is clear that the DOJ is not willing to budge on their stance of confidentiality. As the investigation continues, it will be interesting to see if the DOJ will eventually provide more information or if they will continue to keep their investigation confidential.
The preceding article is a summary of an article that originally appeared on Townhall
