Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, announced on Friday an investigation into how the Department of Justice (DOJ) is handling President Joe Biden's classified documents scandal. The way one former insider sees it, though, the DOJ should refuse to play ball.
Former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) deputy director Andrew McCabe was asked on CNN Friday about how much Jordan's examination could affect the DOJ's own probe.
"Well, I think that DOJ will likely—I certainly would advise them, if they were willing to listen to my advice, I would advise them to take a very hard line against that," he told CNN host Anderson Cooper. "There is a clear precedent here of not sharing information, from an ongoing criminal investigation, with Congress. And I think the DOJ is in a very strong position to resist on those grounds."
The just-announced investigation marks Jordan's first as the chair of the House Judiciary Committee. The Ohio Republican will also chair a new select subcommittee investigating what it calls the "weaponization of the federal government." Jordan is insisting that the DOJ hand over scores of documents regarding the recent appointment of a special counsel, former U.S. attorney Robert Hur, to probe the matter.
The announcement of the House Judiciary Committee's probe came several days after news broke that classified documents had been found in the garage at Biden's Delaware home and a private office in Washington, D.C. The initial discovery reportedly occurred less than a week ahead of the midterm election in November.
Jordan is expected to question whether this information was initially concealed by the DOJ. McCabe, who also serves as CNN's senior law enforcement analyst, posited that if DOJ leadership were to resist Jordan's probe, it could potentially lead to them getting subpoenaed.
"And ultimately, that fight will end up in the courts. And that could drag things out," he continued. "That's going to be an additional distraction to DOJ. But it shouldn't disrupt the actual conduct of the investigation. So, that's a—it'll be a separate but related set of stressors that DOJ has to deal with."
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump is also under federal investigation over a trove of classified documents unearthed at Mar-a-Lago, his estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Those records reportedly included information on nuclear capabilities.
During the Friday interview with the former FBI official, Cooper remarked on the fact that both Biden and Trump are under investigation by separate attorney general-appointed special counsels. In November, Trump announced that he will again run for president in 2024.
"It's absolutely unprecedented," McCabe replied. "I can't think of another situation, even remotely like it."
Newsweek reached out to the DOJ for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Simone Carter is a Newsweek reporter based in Texas. Her focus is covering all things in national news. Simone joined ... Read more
