Justice Department obstructs GOP request for more information on classified Biden documents

The Justice Department on Monday denied Rep. Jim Jordan’s request for more details about its handling of President Joe Biden’s classified files, saying it would not provide him “non-public information” as a special counsel investigation is underway.

“It is the Department’s long-standing policy to maintain the confidentiality of such information with respect to open matters,” wrote the assistant attorney general to Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Jordan had written to Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting all documents and communications (both internal and external) between the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the Executive Office of the President regarding classified material discovered in Biden’s personal possession.

But the agency blocked his request, citing special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation and arguing that it did not want to create the appearance of undue influence by Congress.

“Disclosures to Congress about active investigations risk jeopardizing those investigations and creating the appearance that Congress may be applying inappropriate political pressure or attempting to influence Department decisions in certain cases,” wrote Carlos Felipe Uriarte, the deputy attorney general.

Hur will begin work at the Justice Department this week and will need to finish his job at a private firm before beginning his investigation.

Jordan’s spokesperson responded, accusing the agency of double standards.

“Our members are rightly concerned about the Justice Department’s double standards here, after all, some of Biden’s documents were found in a think tank that received funding from Communist China. It is concerning, to say the least, that the Department is more interested in playing politics than cooperating,” Jordan spokesman Russell Dye said in a statement.

It is unclear if Jordan will subpoena the documents he is seeking, which include documents related to Hur’s appointment as special counsel, as well as the selection of Trump-appointed federal prosecutor John Lausch to lead the initial review of the case.

A special counsel is investigating President Joe Biden’s possession of classified material (above)

Attorney General Merrick Garland Appointed Special Counsel to Investigate Both Joe Biden and Donald Trump

Last week, Jordan told CNN that he would consider such a move if the Justice Department denied his request.

“We’ll see, but we are definitely considering requesting documents via subpoena,” he said. “But we don’t know if that will happen yet.”

And the Justice Department’s response in this matter could be an indication of how the agency will handle future requests from Republicans, showing how a special counsel can complicate investigations by Republicans themselves.

Jordan got into a heated debate about the document investigation Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press with host Chuck Todd.

“The FBI raided the home of a former president 91 days before the election, took the phone of a sitting member of Congress, and so on,” Jordan said of Trump.

Jordan has targeted President Biden and his family now that Republicans are in control of the House and he, as the chairman of a powerful committee, has subpoena power.

In addition to his position at the top of the Judiciary panel, Jordan is the head of a special committee investigating the “weaponization” of the federal government. The Justice Department and other agencies are targeted by that panel, as many Republicans argue that federal agencies unfairly persecuted former President Donald Trump.

Jordan was one of Trump’s biggest supporters on Capitol Hill and will now lead the federal government’s investigation.

Former President Donald Trump sued US Attorney Merrick Garland for authorizing the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago after repeatedly refusing to turn over classified documents

Police direct traffic outside the entrance to former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump said in a lengthy statement that the FBI was conducting a search of his Mar-a-Lago real estate and claimed agents had broken into a safe.

A photo of documents seized during the FBI’s search on August 8 of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property. The investigation into the presence of top secret information at Mar-a-Lago continues.

But Todd balked, pointing out that the National Archives had requested the return of Trump’s documents, which is required by the Presidential Records Act.

“There were nine months between the initial action,” Todd said. The Archives requested documents even before turning them over to the Justice Department. The subpoena was issued 60 days before they actually executed a subpoena.’

They raided Trump’s house. They have not raided Biden’s house,’ Jordan argued.

“Because Biden did not challenge a subpoena, Congressman,” Todd responded.

In all, there have been five discoveries of classified materials in Biden’s possession: at the Penn-Biden Center, a think tank in Washington, DC; in Biden’s garage at his Wilmington, Del., home; a document discovered in his ‘personal library’ in the same house; four more documents found at his home; and then another six found when the Justice Department did another search of his Wilmington residence.

Biden turned over his documents when his lawyers found them and voluntarily gave the FBI access to his home in Wilmington, Delaware, to search for more.

Ultimately, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel to investigate both Trump and Biden.

Jordan isn’t the only Republican looking into the matter: Rep. James Comer of Kentucky and chairman of the House Oversight committee has requested visitor logs to private homes and the office of Biden’s think tank.

The White House says no such records exist.

The administration also stresses that Biden has complied with all legal procedures.