House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Tuesday filed a subpoena against Attorney General Merrick Garland over revelations that federal prosecutors seized a congressional staffer’s phone and email records.
Last October, Google informed Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Ia.) former chief investigative adviser that the Justice Department had subpoenaed the internet conglomerate in 2017 over that staffer’s phone and email records.
When the subpoena was filed in 2017, Grassley was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and had been examining the Justice Department’s conduct surrounding the Steele dossier.
The Steele Dossier was a controversial and unverified opposition research document against former President Donald Trump compiled by a former British spy that circulated among the intelligence community.
Following the disclosure of the 2017 subpoena, Jordan’s team concluded that the Justice Department “likely also sought” communications and other records from numerous congressional staff members of all parties.
He cited media reports to support his accusations that Justice Department spying went beyond Grassley’s former chief investigator.
Merrick Garland has harshly rejected Republican criticism that the Justice Department has been weaponized for political purposes. AP
“The committee is also concerned that aspects of the department’s investigation may have been a pretext to justify the perforation of the Legislative Branch’s deliberative process and improper access to data of members and staff involved in the oversight of the Department,” wrote Jordan (R -Ohio) in a letter to Garland.
Jordan demands information about the department’s apparent efforts to “surveil members of Congress and congressional staff.”
The Ohio Republican emphasized that the Justice Department may have been obtaining records from staff involved in its oversight.
Jim Jordan revealed that the Justice Department responded to his previous requests but insisted it was insufficient. fake images
Shortly after the October revelation, Republicans sent a letter to the Justice Department demanding information on how it implements “subpoenas to obtain private communications from employees of the Legislative Branch,” Jordan explained.
The Justice Department then laid out a timeline and explained changes to its policies for investigations involving congressional staff.
The attorney general has clashed with Jim Jordan in the past. fake images
“If the Department’s representation is accurate, it indicates that the Executive Branch used its immense police authority to collect and record the private communications of multiple Legislative Branch employees who were carrying out constitutional oversight of the Department’s investigative actions, actions that They were later discovered to be illegal. “Jordan said.
But despite the department’s response, Jordan said the Justice Department “has not fully complied with our request.”
He joked that his panel could consider “reform legislative proposals” to require the Justice Department to give “appropriate notice” when it engages in such an action involving members of Congress or an employee.
The Post contacted a Justice Department spokesperson for comment.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn