House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) wrote to Joe Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday demanding documents related to the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into Hunter Biden. Jordan’s letter criticizes Garland for not appointing a special counsel to handle investigations of Hunter Biden, despite appointing special counsels for other investigations. Jordan argues that the situation “raises the appearance of a conflict of interest that would necessitate special counsel protections and authorities.”
Jordan specifically requested all documents and communications related to the investigation into Hunter Biden and any U.S. Attorney’s Office employees for the District of Delaware involved in the investigation. He set a deadline of March 14 for the DOJ to provide this information to the Judiciary Committee.
Why hasn’t DOJ appointed a special counsel for the Hunter Biden investigation? https://t.co/Q17LbQ0sMw
— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) February 28, 2023
The demand for documents and communications comes as House Republicans, including the Judiciary Committee, have begun to investigate the Biden administration’s actions in several areas. The Oversight Committee, for example, is conducting an expansive probe into the business dealings of the Biden family, including Hunter Biden. Last week, the committee accused the Biden Treasury Department of “operating in bad faith” by preventing them from accessing more than 150 bank reports of transactions tied to Hunter Biden.
Garland appeared before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday and faced questions from Republicans on the panel about the Hunter Biden investigation and other issues. Garland told the panel that he would not interfere with the ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden being conducted by the U.S. Attorney for Delaware, David C. Weiss.
Garland said Weiss is “not to be denied anything he needs.” He admitted that it “would be a national security problem” if Hunter had taken money from a foreign government in exchange for influencing the Biden administration’s policies.
It remains to be seen what Jordan’s request for documents and communications will turn up. Still, it does seem curious that a special counsel would be necessary to investigate Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents but not to investigate his son. Republicans will continue to push for answers and more transparency from the DOJ and the Biden administration in the coming months.
