In response to a request by House Republicans, the Department of Justice (DOJ) refused to release details of the raid on Mar-a-Lago that the FBI conducted last August in search of allegedly confidential documents tied to former President Donald Trump.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Republican Jim Jordan, wrote to the DOJ requesting details regarding the classified files uncovered during the search. Among those were exchanges between the FBI’s Washington office and the Secret Service.
The DOJ denied Jordan’s request on Friday, citing the current criminal probes and indictments by a Special Counsel as the reason it could not disclose the information.
The chairman of the House Republican Caucus requested the identities of those working on the Trump case in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland earlier this month. When the request was made, Special Counsel Jack Smith was investigating whether Trump mishandled confidential documents.
The Judiciary Committee had previously requested records and documentation regarding the FBI raid of President Trump’s residence and the investigation that followed. Jordan wrote to Garland asking for an unredacted copy of the memorandum outlining the scope of Mr. Smith’s probes into President Trump and any additional information related to Smith’s appointment as special counsel.
Jordan requested in his letter that Smith provide either a memorandum detailing the scope of his investigation or any additional files detailing, listing, or outlining the special counsel’s authority and jurisdiction.
The deadline he set for the DOJ to deliver the documents is June 20.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote a letter to Jordan explaining why keeping investigation and prosecution details concealed is essential for maintaining public trust in the Department of Justice and preventing any appearance of improper influence from outside sources.
Uriarte stated on Friday that the appointment and independence of the Special Counsel are subject to particular regulations. Furthermore, the Special Counsel regulations establish procedures for disclosing certain information to Congress at the beginning and end of a Special Counsel investigation, such as an explanation of any instances in which the Attorney General determined that a proposed action by the Special Counsel should not be attempted because it was inappropriate and unwarranted under established Departmental practices.
According to Uriarte, the recent indictment against Trump contains detailed information regarding the investigation and the allegations against him. Last week, Trump pled not guilty to dozens of charges concerning the case of the confidential document in a federal courthouse in Miami.
After the report from special counsel John Durham, who looked into the FBI’s start of an inquiry into whether Trump collaborated with the Russian government during the 2016 election, was made public, the GOP chairman requested records. Durham said that the FBI’s inquiry should never have begun and criticized the agency’s decision-making process.
Jordan has not published a statement in response to the DOJ’s response. On Friday, when asked by reporters if he plans to subpoena Garland, Jordan was vague.
“We’ll wait and see what happens on Friday,” he told Straight Arrow News.
As stated by other members, there was talk amongst the House Judiciary Committee that Jordan would issue a subpoena.
It had been Chairman Jordan and Chairman Comer’s policy to try to secure voluntary compliance through discussion, according to Representative Darrell Issa (R-Calif.).