A federal judge on Friday chastised the Justice Department for refusing to allow lawyers involved in the Hunter Biden investigation to comply with subpoenas issued by House Republicans.
The House Judiciary Committee filed suit last month in federal district court in Washington to force Justice Department lawyers Mark Daly and Jack Morgan to testify in the impeachment inquiry of the committee on President Biden.
The GOP-led panel co-leading the impeachment inquiry related to the 81-year-old president’s alleged involvement in his family’s business dealings says the DOJ ‘thwarted’ the committee’s efforts to obtain depositions from officials in the DOJ Tax Division.
District Judge Ana Reyes, appointed by President Biden, argued that the Justice Department showed hypocrisy in asking Daly and Morgan not to comply with the committee’s subpoenas while throwing out other people in prison for similar actions.
“There is a person in jail right now because you all filed a criminal case against him because he failed to appear for a subpoena before the House,” Reyes said during a hearing on the Judiciary Committee trial, according to Politico.
Reyes appeared to be referring to former Trump White House official Peter Navarro, who was sentenced in January to four months in prison after being found guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress for his refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House select committee that investigated the matter. January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol.
“And now you’re ignoring these subpoenas,” Reyes added, directing his anger at DOJ attorney James Gilligan.
“I find it enriching that you are pursuing criminal charges and putting people in jail for defying congressional subpoenas and then saying that here,” the judge continued, according to the Courthouse News Service.
“You all make a bunch of arguments that you would never accept from another litigator. »
Reyes suggested that the DOJ’s position, which she characterized as “if you don’t agree with a subpoena…you can unilaterally not show up,” would please defense attorneys across the country .
When the judge asked whether the DOJ would commit to asking Daly and Morgan to testify if the House Judiciary Committee dropped its insistence that government lawyers not be in the room for their depositions, Gilligan did not answered in the affirmative.
“I can’t answer that question now,” he said.
To which Reyes replied: “Are you kidding me?
The judge noted, however, that even if the Tax Division’s lawyers are expected to appear before Congress, they probably cannot be forced to answer questions that would violate several layers of privilege that Daly and Morgan could invoke.
Daly and Morgan were involved in the Justice Department’s five-year investigation into Hunter Biden’s alleged criminal activities, which has so far resulted in 12 charges against the 53-year-old first son related to tax crimes and fire arms.
The president’s impeachment inquiry also seeks to determine whether Joe Biden pressured the DOJ to tread lightly in its investigation into his son, which House investigators believe Morgan and Daly may be investigating. light.
Reyes ordered House General Counsel Matthew Berry, who is representing the Judiciary Committee in the lawsuit, and Gilligan to negotiate for four hours next week on ways they could resolve their disagreements at the amicable.
“I don’t think taxpayers want to fund a rivalry between the executive and the legislature,” she said. “Bad deals make bad law…this is a very bad deal for both of you.” »
New York Post
