By Jack Phillips
The Department of Justice (DOJ) rejected a House Republican request to disclose information connected to the FBI’s search and raid of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago last August for alleged classified documents.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had requested the information in a letter sent to the DOJ, asking for information about the classified materials that were discovered in the search. That included communications between the FBI’s Washington office and the U.S. Secret Service.
On Friday, the DOJ rejected (pdf) Jordan’s request and argued that it couldn’t provide “non-public information about an ongoing criminal investigation and prosecution by a Special Counsel.”
“Protecting the confidentiality of non-public information regarding investigations and prosecutions preserves the American people’s confidence in the evenhanded administration of justice by guarding against the appearance of political pressure or other improper attempts to influence Department decisions,” Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote in a letter to Jordan.
In his letter earlier this month, the House GOP chairman asked Attorney General Merrick Garland to provide information about who is working on the Trump case. The request came before Trump was indicted on charges related to special counsel Jack Smith’s probe into whether the former president mishandled classified documents.
The Judiciary Committee “previously requested information and documents related to the FBI’s raid on President Trump’s residence and its subsequent investigation,” Jordan’s letter (pdf) to Garland stated. “Because you have not provided this information, and in light of your appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel, we write to request an unredacted copy of the memorandum outlining the scope of Mr. Smith’s probes regarding President Trump and any supporting documentation related to his appointment as special counsel.”
Jordan sought a memo that outlines the scope of Smith’s investigation or “any other document describing, listing, or delineating the authority and jurisdiction of the special counsel,” according to his letter. He gave the DOJ until June 20 to hand over the material.
“Special Counsel matters are subject to specific regulations regarding the Special Counsel’s appointment and independence,” Uriarte wrote on Friday. “Additionally, the Special Counsel regulations establish procedures for disclosing certain information to Congress at the onset and conclusion of a Special Counsel investigation, including an explanation of any instances in which the Attorney General concluded that a proposed action by the Special Counsel should not be pursued because it was so inappropriate or unwarranted under established Departmental practices.”
Uriarte also made reference to the recent indictment against Trump as providing detailed information about the investigation and the charges that were brought against him. Trump pleaded not guilty in a Miami federal courthouse last week to dozens of counts related to the classified documents case.
The GOP chairman’s request for documents came after the release of a report from special counsel John Durham, who investigated the FBI’s opening of a probe into whether Trump colluded with the Russian government during the 2016 election. Durham was critical of the FBI’s decision-making process and said the investigation should have never started in the first place.
After the DOJ’s response, Jordan has not issued a public comment. In comments to reporters on Friday about whether he’ll issue a subpoena to Garland, Jordan did not say.
“We’ll wait and see what happens on Friday,” he told Straight Arrow News. Other members of the House Judiciary Committee said that Jordan will likely issue a subpoena.
“It has been the policy of Chairman Jordan, and Chairman Comer for that matter, to attempt to get voluntary compliance through negotiation. If he is unable to get it, I have little doubt but that he would be forced to use subpoena power,” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) told the outlet.
But it’s OK to violate attorney/client confidentiality and leak whatever information the DOJ wants to leak to damage Trump’s case. The DOJ and FBI have destroyed their own credibility by pursuing questionable cases against political opponents of the Democrats and their suppression of details does not make them appear any more credible or non-biased.
Dismantle the DOJ/fbi
Forgot this
Over 300 classified documents were found to be in Trump’s possession after his attorneys told authorities that none remained, some of which were classified as Top Secret. 31 of the 37 counts involve willful concealment—that is, he knew that they were still present, and knowingly took action to keep them hidden.
They were personal presidential records, now how many of a truckload of documents stolen since his Jr. Senator days are classified or top secret are in some storage room in a college that gets CCP funding?
The warrant did it say take magazines, photos napkins, medical records and menus? No I dont think it did, 4th amendment rights violated. The case needs to be dismissed on constitutional violations.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
False. What the deep state and their media outlets struggle to rig is yet another example of “accuse Trump of what we ourselves are doing.”
Clinton broke real laws, and was not arrested for reasons no one can understand outside of Comey and government corruption.
The point of trying to take down Trump, a man who dared win a gamed election for Hillary, with a manufactured scandal about classified docs is not a coincidence.
It’s petty and intentional.
It’s retribution for Trump succeeding legally in elections that we citizens want to see restored and purged of unelected people like Barack Obama, George Bush, Joe Biden, etc.