The Department of Justice (DOJ) is responding to House Republican lawmakersâ request for information into the investigation of President Joe Bidenâs handling of classified information.
In a letter to Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mike Johnson (R-La.), Assistant Attorney General Carlos Flipe Uriarte noted the lawmakers expressed âan interest in learning when the Department became aware that documents had been discovered and the sequence of events that followed.â
âIn connection with appointing a Special Counsel, the Attorney General has provided significant information about how the matter came into the Department, the steps the Department took to investigate, and his appointment decision,â the letter continued.
It also laid out a timeline and noted the National Archives Office of Inspector General informed the DOJ about the discovery of documents with classification markings at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 4, 2022.
The letter proceeds to recount the process that led Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a special counsel earlier this month.
Uriarte continued, âYour letter also requests non-public information that is central to the ongoing Special Counsel investigation. The Departmentâs longstanding policy is to maintain the confidentiality of such information regarding open matters.â
âDisclosing non-public information about ongoing investigations could violate statutory requirements or court orders, reveal road maps of our investigations, and interfere with the Departmentâs ability to gather facts, interview witnesses, and bring criminal prosecutions where warranted,â he added.
Read the letter below:
The letter also expresses concern sharing information to Congress about investigations could create âthe appearance that Congress may be exerting improper political pressure or attempting to influence Department decisions in certain cases.â
Jordan has raised questions about the handling of Bidenâs case compared to the investigation of former President Donald Trump.
During an appearance on NBCâs âMeet The Press,â he suggested search of Trumpâs Mar-a-Lago estate was the result of the alleged weaponization of the DOJ.
However, moderator Chuck Todd pushed back as he noted, âThere was nine months between the initial action that the archives made for requests of documents before they even turned it over to the Justice Department.â
âThe subpoena was issued 60 days before they actually executed the subpoena. And more importantly, the only time the public found out about it is because Donald Trump told the public about it,â he continued.
Todd added, âYou paint it as a picture of the FBI did this, this, and this within hours of each other, when it was actually a year and a half of Donald Trump not complying with any of the requests from National Archives. A year and a half.â
âPresident Trump had documents locked in a room with Secret Service protecting them. President Biden had documents in his garage and in a think tank that was funded by the Chinese. I think thereâs a difference,â Jordan replied.
