WASHINGTON—Today, House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) subpoenaed Attorney General Merrick Garland for records, including transcripts, notes, video, and audio files, related to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation of President Joe Biden’s willful mishandling of classified information. The Judiciary, Oversight, and the Ways and Means Committees are also seeking classified documents referenced in the Special Counsel’s report which relate to then-Vice President Biden’s December 2015 phone call with the then-Ukrainian prime minister. This phone call occurred during the timeframe when then-Vice President Biden called for the firing of the Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating Burisma, the Ukrainian energy holdings company where Hunter Biden sat on the board.
The Committees first requested the Department of Justice (DOJ) documents on February 12, 2024, and to date, the DOJ has failed to produce any responsive materials. The Committees are concerned that President Biden may have retained sensitive documents related to specific countries involving his family’s foreign business dealings. The Committees also further seek to understand whether the White House or President Biden’s personal attorneys placed any limitations or scoping restrictions during the interviews with Special Counsel Hur or Mr. Mark Zwonitzer precluding or addressing any potential statements directly linking President Biden to troublesome foreign payments.
“The Justice Department has closed its investigation into classified documents, but the Oversight Committee and Judiciary Committee’s investigation continues. Americans expect equal justice under the law and DOJ is allowing the Bidens to operate above it. Special Counsel Hur’s report outlined that classified documents Joe Biden stashed for years relate to countries where his family cashed in on the Biden brand. We owe it to the American people to provide transparency and accountability about the extent of Joe Biden retaining sensitive materials and the concerns raised about his current mental state and fitness to be President of the United States,” said Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky).
“Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents made two things clear: there’s a double standard of justice in this country and Joe Biden isn’t fit for office. The transcripts and materials from his investigation are critical to our oversight work,” said Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). “Now that Special Counsel Hur’s investigation has concluded, the American people have a right to know whether President Biden retained classified documents related to his family’s overseas business dealings. While the Special Counsel may have declined to charge the president citing his memory problems, Congress and the American people do not consider ‘elderly and well meaning’ a defense for corruption,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.). “Given that President Biden rarely answers any questions in public, the American people deserve access to the recordings of the Special Counsel’s interview that led him to conclude that a jury would find Joe Biden ‘sympathetic’ given his age and ‘poor memory.’”
Read the full subpoena cover letter to Attorney General Garland here.