The Department of Justice has hit back at House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) after the committee subpoenaed FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to Fox News. The DOJ labeled Jordan’s decision to issue the subpoena as “premature.”
In a letter addressed to Jordan, the assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs, Carlos Felipe Uriarte, told Jordan that the DOJ is ready to discuss the next steps for the department to address Jordan’s information needs. Uriarte said Jordan’s subpoena was premature since the justice Department had already offered voluntary information to the committee.
Uriarte noted in his letter that most congressional demands for information from the DOJ were resolved through “voluntary discussion and cooperation.”
“We are committed to working in good faith to respond to your requests and remain ready to discuss your informational needs and priorities for review and production of pertinent documents,” Uriarte wrote.
Uriarte wrote the letter in response to Jordan’s subpoena, which compelled Wray to turn over all FBI documents and communication related to the agency’s “misuse of federal criminal and counterterrorism resources” to target parents at school board meetings. Jordan also issued subpoenas to Garland and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona over the same case.
According to Fox News, Jordan’s subpoena orders Wray to turn over the documents to the committee by March 1 at 9 a.m. the subpoena also demanded that the DOJ turn over related documents to the department’s task force that identifies school board threats and the FBI’s role on the task force.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) February 10, 2023
Jordan and his committee issued the subpoenas in a bid to investigate claims made by several whistleblowers who claimed the FBI targeted parents at school board meetings who protested COVID-19 policies at schools.
Have we ever seen it this bad at the FBI and DOJ?
Doesn’t seem like it. https://t.co/LGN7AuK4ym
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) February 10, 2023
Jordan, in a letter addressed to the DOJ in May 2022, said he had evidence that the FBI labeled several investigations into parents with a threat tag used by the agency’s Counterterrorism Division.
