The Justice Department on Monday denied a House Judiciary Committee request to turn over documents related to the special counsel’s investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents.
In a letter addressed to panel chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the department said it could not turn over non-public files under its longstanding policy of not sharing information that could lead to an ongoing investigation.
“Disclosure to Congress of an active investigation risks jeopardizing the investigation and creating the appearance that Congress may exert undue political pressure or attempt to influence the Department’s decision in a particular case,” the letter said.
The department added that disclosure also carries other risks, including undermining prosecutors’ ability to interview relevant witnesses and bring charges.
But the committee does not seem to be eager to accept the reason for the DOJ not complying with its request.
“It’s about, to say the least, that the department is more interested in playing politics than cooperating,” Russell Dye, a spokesman for Jordan, said, according to CNN.
The committee asked the Justice Department to turn over all communications about the appointment of special counsel Robert Hur, as well as files related to the selection of John Lausch, which Garland initially obtained in search of the discovery. He also requested communications between the DOJ, the FBI and the Executive Office of the President regarding Biden’s secret files, among other things.
Earlier this month, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Hur as special counsel to review classified material found at Biden’s Delaware home and former office in Washington.
Most of the documents recovered from Biden’s records date from his time as vice president during the Barack Obama administration, while some are from his time in the Senate.
Biden maintains he was “not there” in the document and that he has cooperated with the investigation.
Garland has also ordered a special counsel investigation into classified documents found in the possession of former President Donald Trump, who likened FBI agents who searched the Mar-a-Lago estate to Nazi Germany’s secret police and even accused him of planting the evidence they found.
The FBI searched Trump’s home in August after he failed to comply with a subpoena.
NBC’s Chuck Todd on Sunday accused Jordan of painting an inaccurate picture of how Biden and Trump handled the discovery of classified material in the memo during an interview Sunday on “Meet the Press.”
Jordan claimed the department was “armed” against Trump and also objected to what he described as a double standard in the handling of the two men’s cases.
“Biden does not resist subpoenas, congressman,” Todd said.