CNN
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A top White House attorney told two leading Republicans that the oversight demands they issued in the last Congress should be reissued once Republicans take control of the House next week. .
A letter sent to the incoming chairs of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, Rep. Jim Jordan and Rep. James Comer, said Biden’s team had whitewashed what was expected to be a series of Republican investigations. It shows early how the House will deal with it. The view that there are political motives.
The White House has been working over the past few months to assemble a team of lawyers and other advisers to deal with the expected onslaught of surveillance requests. It is a sign of and a pledge to cooperate, while also pushing back against what the White House sees as excesses.
Jordan and Comer began demanding the record from the Biden administration shortly after it became clear in November that Republicans would win enough seats in the House to wrest the majority in the House from Democrats. I set a deadline for the month.
However, special adviser to the president Richard Sauber wrote in the letter that the two Republicans are not yet eligible to make the request and will have to resubmit their request when the new Congress begins next week.
“Congress has not delegated such powers to individual members of Congress who are not chairmen of committees, and the House does not, under current rules, have the power to do so,” said Sauber, one of the White House’s chief supervising attorneys. I have not,” he wrote.
“If the Commission issues a similar request or any other request at the 118th Congress, it will be considered and acted upon in good faith, consistent with the needs and obligations of both chapters. I look forward to assuming its oversight responsibilities with the same integrity,” Sauber wrote.
Politico first reported on the letter from a White House attorney.
House Republicans have vowed to investigate a number of issues related to the Biden administration, including the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, Hunter Biden’s business involvement, and the federal government’s response to school board meetings.
Jordan and Comer threaten to use subpoenas to obtain documents and information from the administration. The White House said Biden’s focus will remain on other priorities as Republicans launch an investigation.
House Judiciary Republicans are the White House Twitter letteraccused the administration of “playing a game” and added:
“This is why it is so important to launch on January 3rd,” they added. “Get ready.”
“President Biden has promised to have the most transparent administration in history, but the Biden White House will do everything in its power to obstruct congressional oversight and hide information from the American public,” Comer said in a statement. It is said that
White House officials believe that Republicans will inevitably flout surveillance demands and that the excesses of their investigation will backfire on the American public. Believing it to be based on conspiracy theories and politically motivated accusations, we are ready to push back forcefully.
“As we have done for the past two years, we will work in good faith to keep Congress properly informed, but Americans expect Washington’s leaders to work together on top priorities such as cutting costs. That’s the president’s focus and we want House Republicans to join him,” White House Attorney’s Office spokesman Ian Samms said in a statement. .
“Unfortunately, political stunts like the threat of subpoenas from minorities have forced House Republicans to think more about how to be booked in ‘Hannity’ than to prepare to work together to help the American people. It suggests that you may be spending a lot of time on the program,” Sams said, referring to Fox News.