A lawyer for President Joe Biden told Republican lawmakers the administration did not plan to respond to letters seeking information for potential House probes, telling them they needed to resend those requests once they take over their committees in the next Congress.
(Bloomberg) — A lawyer for President Joe Biden told Republican lawmakers the administration did not plan to respond to letters seeking information for potential House probes, telling them they needed to resend those requests once they take over their committees in the next Congress.
Richard Sauber, the special counsel to the president, sent letters first reported by Politico to Republican Representatives James Comer of Kentucky and Jim Jordan of Ohio, the ranking members of the House Oversight and Reform and Judiciary committees, respectively, telling them their outstanding requests lacked constitutional authority.
“The requests in your letters were not made as part of the congressional oversight process in the 117th Congress to which the constitutional accommodation obligations apply,” Sauber said in the letters, dated Thursday. “Congress has not delegated such authority to individual members of Congress who are not committee chairmen, and the House has not done so under its current Rules.”
“Should the Committee issue similar or other requests in the 118th Congress, we will review and respond to them in good faith, consistent with the needs and obligations of both branches. We expect the new Congress will undertake its oversight responsibilities in the same spirit of good faith,” Sauber added.
Comer and Jordan are in line to be chairmen of their respective committees when Republicans assume House control in January. Armed with subpoena power, GOP lawmakers have floated plans to conduct a wide range of investigations into the Biden administration, including its handling of the surge in migrant crossings on the US-Mexico border, the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the business dealings of Hunter Biden, the president’s son.
The letters are a signal of how the White House intends to respond to many of the forthcoming probes, which the administration has cast as politically motivated. The White House has already begun beefing up its team to deal with the investigations even as Biden and allies downplay their importance.
Earlier: Biden Staffs Up for GOP Probes That Threaten to Cloud 2024 Run
“As we have over the past two years, we intend to work in good faith to provide appropriate information to Congress, but Americans have made clear they expect their leaders in Washington to work together on their top priorities, like lowering costs. That’s what the President will focus on, and we hope House Republicans join him,” said Ian Sams, a spokesman for White House Counsel’s Office.
“Unfortunately, political stunts like subpoena threats from the minority suggest House Republicans might be spending more time thinking about how to get booked on Hannity than on preparing to work together to help the American people,” Sams added, referring to Fox News host, Sean Hannity.
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