A top White House lawyer told two top Republicans that their previous congressional surveillance requests should be reissued next week after they win a majority in the House of Representatives.
The letter, to Jim Jordan and James Comer, incoming chairmen of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, offers an early look at how the White House plans to handle what Republicans expect to be an investigation. Which would be Team Biden. . As a political objective
The White House has been working for months to assemble a team of lawyers and other advisers to handle the expected influx of regulatory requests. Thursday’s letter is the first indication of the team’s approach — one that promises cooperation but nonetheless backs away from what the White House sees as too far-fetched.
Jordan and Comer began requesting the records from the Biden administration in November shortly after it became clear that Republicans would hold enough seats to wrest a majority from Democrats in the House. He set a deadline of December.
But in his letter, President Richard Sober’s special counsel wrote that the two Republicans are still ineligible to file their petitions — and will have to resubmit their petitions after the new Congress begins next week.
Congress has not given such authority to individual members of Congress who are not committee chairs, and the House has not done so under its current rules, wrote Saber, one of the White House’s top watchdog lawyers. are one
“If the committee makes similar or different requests in the 118th Congress, we will consider and respond to them in good faith and in accordance with the needs and responsibilities of both branches. We expect the new Congress to oversee will fulfill the responsibilities.” In the same spirit himself, wrote Saber.
Politico first reported the White House counsel’s letters.
House Republicans have pledged to investigate several matters related to the Biden administration, including the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, Hunter Biden’s business dealings and the federal government’s response to school board hearings.
Jordan and Comer have threatened to use subpoenas to obtain documents and information from the government. The White House said Biden will focus on other priorities as Republicans move forward with their investigation.
In response to the White House letter on Twitter, House Judiciary Republicans accused the administration of “playing games,” adding: “This shows how afraid you are of significant congressional oversight, especially where your govt. It has targeted protesting parents at local school board meetings.”
“That’s why it’s so important for us to hit the ground running on January 3,” he added. “to prepare.”
“President Biden promised the most transparent administration in history, but at every turn the Biden White House is trying to block congressional oversight and hide information from the American people,” Comer said in a statement.
White House officials believe that Republicans are forced to overreach in their demands for surveillance and that their over-investigation will backfire with the American public. In the meantime, they are willing to push back firmly, arguing that much of the proposed investigation is based on conspiracy theories and politically motivated accusations.
“As we have done for the past two years, we intend to work in good faith to provide adequate information to Congress, but the American people have made it clear that they expect their leaders in Washington to do their best work.” They will collaborate on priorities. Ian Sams, spokesman for the White House counsel’s office, said in a statement: “The president will be focused and we hope that the House Republicans will join him.”
“Unfortunately, political stunts like threats of impeachment by minorities show that House Republicans are focusing on Hannity instead of being prepared to work together to help the American people,” Sams said, according to Fox News. Spending a lot of time on how to book the program
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