Emails reveal that the Department of Justice (DOJ) intervened for U.S. Attorney David Weiss in congressional matters relating to the Hunter Biden investigation.
The emails obtained by the Heritage Foundation following a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) call into question a claim from Attorney Weiss where he said he had “ultimate authority” in charging decisions for Hunter Biden.
The emails suggest the DOJ and Weiss may have attempted to mislead Congress.
Mike Howell, who launched the FOIA request, said that while Garland said Weiss acted independently, Garland was “simultaneously running communications from Weiss to Grassley through the political controls of Main Justice.”
In one email, the DOJ’s Office of Legislative Affairs told Weiss’s office that it would “take the lead on drafting a response” to a letter from Congress.
In another incident, Weiss responded to a congressional letter originally addressed only to Attorney General Merrick Garland, writing, “Your May 25th letter to Attorney General Garland was forwarded to me, with a request that I respond on behalf of the Department.”
Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) noted in a follow-up letter that Weiss’s response was of “unusual nature” and inquired for further information.
Reporting from The Federalist:
“The only reason these documents are starting to trickle out is because we sued for transparency,” Howell told The Federalist. “We’ve faced taxpayer funded resistance at every step of the way and haven’t given up,” he added, noting that “the DOJ is under a judicial order to continue this production.” The next round of responsive documents is due by Oct. 31, and since none of the documents produced to date include references to Jordan’s May 25, 2023, letter, it seems likely we’ll see those emails in the next batch — unless House Republicans seek access to them first through a subpoena.
