House GOP sues to force DOJ lawyers to testify for impeachment probe
House Republicans filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to force two Justice Department lawyers to testify about the criminal investigation of Hunter Biden as part of the chamber’s impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
The lawsuit — filed in Washington’s federal court — comes as the impeachment inquiry is all but winding down, with the
Republican ranks lacking the political appetite to go forward with an actual impeachment after producing no hard evidence of presidential wrongdoing.
The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee wants the court to order two rank-and-file Justice Department tax division attorneys to comply with subpoenas demanding they answer questions about Hunter Biden. The lawsuit says their failure to testify is impeding the committee’s inquiry into claims that the Justice Department mishandled and “slow walked” the investigation into the president’s son.
The Justice Department didn’t respond to an email seeking comment on the lawsuit. But it has previously said it has already taken “extraordinary steps” to answer concerns about the probe, including first-of-itskind testimony from the special counsel overseeing the Hunter Biden prosecutions.
The president’s son has pleaded not guilty to gun and tax charges filed after the implosion of a plea deal that would have spared him jail time. The tax charges stem from what federal prosecutors say was a four-year scheme to not pay the $1.4 million he owed to the IRS and instead use the money to fund an extravagant lifestyle that by his own admission included drugs and alcohol.
In a recent letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, the Justice Department objected to the subpoenas sent to the tax division attorneys and others, noting that six senior Justice officials have already testified that there was no interference in the investigation from President Biden or the White House.
That includes the prosecutor leading the Hunter Biden cases, special counsel David Weiss, who testified last year that no one at the Justice Department prevented him from pursuing charges or taking other necessary steps in the investigation.
It’s rare for the Justice Department to have rankand-file attorneys give congressional testimony. Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte, the Justice Department’s head of congressional affairs, said in the letter to Jordan that forcing witnesses to answer questions related to ongoing investigations or prosecutions would also pose “serious risks to the integrity” of the probe and the fairness of ongoing court proceedings.