(LibertyInsider.org) – House Republicans are asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to hand over all materials from special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Joe Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents. According to a memo sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland on February 27, they hope to use the information to determine whether the House should move to impeach the president.
The Oversight and Judiciary Committees, who are coordinating with the Ways and Means
Committee on the request are specifically demanding information stemming from Hur’s one-on-one interviews with the president and his personal ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer. They have also asked the DOJ to turn over documents related to a December 2015 call between Biden and then-Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.
House Republicans on Tuesday subpoenaed the Justice Department for materials related to special counsel Robert Hur's investigation into President Biden's handling of classified documents. https://t.co/cyZkMKvMRJ
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 27, 2024
This subpoena reportedly follows an earlier demand for the same information on February 12. GOP lawmakers have since accused the Justice Department of failing to turn over enough data by the deadline of that original request.
House Republicans say they are also hoping to learn more about the president’s communications with top officials in Ukraine, including Yatsenuk. They question whether the information might shed light on his family’s business dealings within the foreign country.
The special counsel’s investigation began in January 2023 after the president’s personal attorneys discovered a number of classified documents at his private office and Delaware home. Attorney General Merrick Garland quickly responded by appointing Hur to assess how the documents ended up there and whether Biden violated any specific laws.
Hur’s investigation concluded on February 5. The special counsel ruled that then-VP Biden did “willfully” retain and mishandle certain classified files, particularly those related to military operations in Afghanistan, after leaving office in 2017. However, Hur called the idea of pursuing prosecution “unwarranted,” choosing instead to position Biden as a sympathetic and “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
The Biden administration swiftly rebutted Hur’s characterization of Biden’s memory issues. In a letter to Hur, also included with his final report, White House lawyer Richard Sauber deemed the characterization “highly inappropriate” and the phrasing within it deeply prejudicial. Sauber also dismissed the significance of Biden’s failure to recall “years-old events,” calling memory lapses a routine occurrence among witnesses.
Garland reportedly has until March 7 to respond to the subpoena. However, Hur is already scheduled to testify before Congress on the probe on March 12.
Copyright 2024, LibertyInsider.org
