House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan sent a letter of four pages to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Friday, expressing his grave concern over the indictment of Donald Trump. He also requested documents and information relating to the raids at Mar-a-Lago which the DOJ had refused to give to the House Judiciary Committee.
The letter starts by reminding Garland of Trump’s status as “Biden’s chief rival” in the upcoming election and the double standard that was created when Hillary Clinton wasn’t prosecuted for mishandling classified data (emphasis added):
Biden Department Of Justice is about to indict President Biden’s main rival for the upcoming election, a former president. The Department of Justice will reportedly indict Donald Trump despite refusing to indict Hillary Clinton over her mishandling of classified information. The indictment gives the appearance of a serious double standard and miscarriage of justice. This impression is further strengthened by the allegations that a Biden Justice Dept lawyer “inappropriately tried to pressure” an affiliated lawyer of Trump with the prospect of a judgeship.
The Committee’s recent information about the Department’s execution on a search warrant at President Trump’s home only confirms our grave concern that your reported actions were nothing more than a politically motivated prosecution.
Jordan informs Garland of points made by Steven D’Antuono in an interview transcribed on June 7 with the former Assistant Director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. D’Antuono has over 20 years of experience in law enforcement. According to Jordan, he “expressed his strong concerns about the Department’s pursuit and handling of the case.”
These “unusual characteristics” are:
- Miami Field Office didn’t conduct the search
- The Department of Justice did not assign a U.S. Attorney’s Office for the matter
- The FBI did NOT first obtain consent before conducting the search
- The FBI did not wait for the attorney of President Trump to be present to conduct the search
The committee asked again for the following information from the Department of Justice and set a deadline of June 16th:
All documents and communications that refer to or relate to meetings between FBI officials and Justice Department officials before the execution of a search warrant at President Trump’s residence;
All documents and communications that refer to or relate to the execution of the search warrant at President Trump’s residence, including those received or sent by the following FBI officials and Justice Department officials:
a. Paul Abbate
b. Matthew Olsen,
c. Jay Bratt,
d. George Toscas
e. Steven D’Antuono
Documents and communications between Washington Field Office employees, agents, and U.S. Secret Service regarding a possible search of President Trump’s residence
Jordan reminded Garland in his final letter that the Committee has jurisdiction over the Department of Justice with respect to oversight.
