The Department of Justice (DOJ) informed the Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee on Friday “it may not always be possible” to fulfill the committee's requests for investigation.
“While we will work diligently to accommodate requests for public testimony, it may not always be possible to participate or to address all the topics the Committee wishes to raise,” Carlos Uriarte, who is deputy attorney general in the Office of Legislative Affairs, addressed the committee's chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) in a letter that was obtained by Breitbart News.
Republican requests “must be weighed against the Department's interests in protecting the integrity of its work,” Uriarte stated.
The DOJ warned of a lack of ability for the committee's full cooperation as a result of Jordan approaching the department last week in his first email since he was appointed chairman of the committee, to request in writing, documents, communications, and witness statements from various DOJ officials.
Jordan's concerns were about the committee's probe regarding the handling of the DOJ's dealings with certain parents who were present at school board meetings, as well as its involvement in the border crisis, the raids at Mar-a-Lago and Project Veritas employees' residences, it's implementation of FACE Act (the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act), its conduct during the January 6 investigation, and other issues regarding “alleged politicization and bias.”
The committee is also home to the newly-created Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, a powerful panel with a large budget and a broad goal of investigating potential civil liberties violations committed by federal agencies, like the DOJ.
Jordan is the chairman of the subcommittee. It was created by a congressional resolution earlier this month, with no Democrat backing. Jordan is the Ohio Republican who is likely to conduct certain aspects of the DOJ investigations by way of the subcommittee when Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) appoints members to the committee.
A resolution “authorized and directed” the subcommittee that would investigate the investigations of the executive branch, “including ongoing criminal investigations.”
The DOJ's letter from Friday, however, is a sign that the two government departments are in the midst of an impasse as the committee and the newly formed select subcommittee -seek to meet their oversight obligations.
“Longstanding Department policy prevents us from confirming or denying the existence of pending investigations in response to congressional requests or providing non-public information about our investigations,” Uriarte wrote.
The Judiciary Committee responded in a post on social media Friday asking “Why's the DOJ scared to cooperate with our investigations?”
Jordan, who has been a member of the House Judiciary Committee since joining Congress 16 years ago, has indicated in his letter with DOJ that he would resort to the issuing of subpoenas in case it is needed to obtain documents or communications that he's requested.
“Republicans aren't worried about anything when it comes to the DOJ's letter,” an insider of the Committee said to Breitbart News and added that “it won't distract or obstruct anything in the slightest when it comes to their oversight of the department.”
