The Justice Department told a federal judge on Friday the House Judiciary Committee should not be granted access to secret grand jury material collected during Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation because Democratic lawmakers do not agree on why they need the files.
The DOJ’s response comes nearly two months after the committee filed a petition in court arguing they needed full, unredacted access to the materials in order to determine whether to move forward with an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.
According to the DOJ, the committee — chaired by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) — has “come nowhere close to demonstrating a particularized need” for the grand jury material.
In fact, the DOJ argued that conflicting language from Democratic leaders undermine their central claim for needing the secret files, citing statements from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-N.Y.).
“Most prominently, the Speaker of the House has been emphatic that the investigation is not a true impeachment proceeding,” the DOJ wrote. – READ MORE