According to new reporting from New York Times congressional correspondent Luke Broadwater, congruent with confirmation from the US Department of Justice itself, controversial Ohio Republican House Rep. Jim Jordan has once again failed in another attempt to gain access to an ongoing Justice Department probe, in relation to the classified documents that were reportedly recently found in President Biden’s old office and Delaware personal residence.
Following the new Republican power in the US House of Representatives, Rep. Jim Jordan, along with fellow GOP Rep. Mike Johnson, called on the US Department of Justice on January 13th to give them insider access to a detailed accounting of when officials with the DOJ first learned of the classified documents that had been discovered at the Penn Biden Center. The congressmen wanted information from the Justice Department as to what steps were taken next, upon learning of the discovery of these documents. While the Justice Department offered the congressmen a rather bland overview of the situation and events, they shot the Republican pair down when they blatantly refused to release any information pertaining to the special counsel probe into the Biden document ordeal that hadn’t already been publicly released.
Basically, Jordan and Johnson quickly learned that, even under their new Republican power in the House, they were not entitled to and would not be gaining access to any more information than what the average American people have — a shot straight to their already fragile egos, I can only imagine.
Officials with the Justice Department said on the matter:
The Department’s long-standing policy is to maintain the confidentiality of such information regarding open matters. This policy protects the American people’s interest in the evenhanded, dispassionate and effective administration of justice. Disclosing non-public information about ongoing investigations could violate statutory requirements of court orders, reveal road maps of our investigations and interfere with the Department’s ability to gather facts, interview witnesses and bring criminal prosecutions where warranted.”
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As per the information that’s already been publicly released regarding the Biden classified document incident, the inspector general’s office for the National Archives and Records Administration contacted a prosecutor with the Justice Department on November 4th, four days before the 2020 presidential election, and informed the DOJ official that documents bearing classified markings were discovered at Joe Biden’s former office. The revelation from NARA prompted Attorney General Merrick Garland to immediately launch a probe by a US attorney into the matter. On January 12th, Garland appointed a special counsel to oversee the Justice Department’s probe into the situation.
The DOJ wrote, “Consistent with the Justice Manual and other applicable regulations, the Department’s first public disclosures regarding this matter occurred when the Attorney General announced the appointment of a Special Counsel.”
See the DOJ’s statement on Jordan and Johnson’s demands here:
DOJ today tells Rep. Jordan and House Judiciary (again) it will not be providing “non-public information” about ongoing special counsel investigations.
“The Department’s long-standing policy is to maintain the confidentiality of such information regarding open matters.” pic.twitter.com/cgnwGoN8dl
— Luke Broadwater☀️ (@lukebroadwater) January 30, 2023
Featured image via Flickr/Gage Skidmore, under Creative Commons license 2.0
