The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday refused a request by House Judiciary Committee for more information on the Special Counsel investigation into the class by documents found in President Biden Delaware home and former office in Washington, D.C. the justice department has maintained that they cannot supply information on this case as it would potentially hinder the ongoing investigation.
The panel, which is chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), is trying to gain access to all documents and communications that relate to the search for the classified documents and the investigation. This includes the communication between Biden’s attorneys and the Department of Justice when deciding how the search would be conducted, as well as the communications related to the appointment of Robert Hur as special counsel.
The Department of Justice replied back in a letter that was later obtained and publicized by the Hill. In the letter, they note that the information that the panel is trying to gain access to is not public information and that because it pertains directly to the ongoing Special Counsel investigation they could not provide it. They also added that this is a longstanding policy relating to confidentiality in open cases which helps protect the nature of the investigation.
Later in the letter, they note that disclosures such as the ones that Congress is seeking could be misconstrued as “improper political pressure” or a general attempt to “influence” the decisions made by the DOJ.
Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel to oversee the case relating to the classified documents found in Biden’s hands earlier this month. Similarly, in November he had also appointed a special counsel, Jack Smith, to oversee the two cases relating to former President Donald Trump, one of which deals with the classified documents found in his possession.
