Politics
Merrick Garland’s DOJ Accused of Spying on Congress: Jim Jordan Demands Answers
Clear Facts
- House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan has subpoenaed Attorney General Merrick Garland for information on alleged surveillance of Congress members and staff, including during the Russiagate controversy.
- The Department of Justice (DOJ) had previously informed the committee that its legal process was related to an investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of classified information in a national media publication.
- Government watchdog group Empower Oversight revealed that its founder, Jason Foster, was notified that the DOJ subpoenaed Google for his personal communication records in 2017 when he was serving as chief investigative counsel to then-Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan has issued a subpoena to Attorney General Merrick Garland. The subpoena seeks information on alleged efforts by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to surveil members of Congress and their staff. This includes surveillance during the Russiagate controversy that embroiled former President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and administration.
In his cover letter to Garland, Jordan stated that his panel “must resort to compulsory process” due to the “inadequate response to date” by the DOJ. This follows his request for details about the apparent use of subpoenas to obtain private communications of Legislative Branch employees. Jordan suggested that potential legislative reforms could follow.
The DOJ had previously informed the committee that the legal process it used was related to an investigation into the “unauthorized disclosure of classified information in a national media publication.”
Jordan cited news reports indicating that the inquiry pertained to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) surveillance of Carter Page, a one-time Trump campaign associate. The DOJ inspector general heavily criticized the effort to get FISA warrants, and the DOJ later conceded that it had relied on “insufficient predication” to last as long as it did.
In October, government watchdog group Empower Oversight revealed that its founder, Jason Foster, had been notified that the DOJ subpoenaed Google for his personal communication records in 2017. At that time, Foster served as chief investigative counsel to then-Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley.
Grassley and his team were investigating the DOJ’s handling of British ex-spy Christopher Steele’s now-discredited anti-Trump dossier. The FBI used this dossier to obtain authority to wiretap Page during the investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia.
Empower Oversight also claimed to have information “indicating that the other accounts listed in the subpoena belonged to other staffers, both Republicans and Democrats, for U. S. House and Senate committees also engaged in oversight investigations of the Justice Department at the time pursuant to their authorities under the U.S. Constitution.”
On the last day of October, Jordan announced that he was launching a probe into alleged attempts to spy on Congress. He sent requests for information to the DOJ and CEOs of various tech and communications companies.
In response, the DOJ offered a timeline and “brief description” of the agency’s recent policy changes for investigations involving members of Congress and their staff.
It also provided “publicly available” documents concerning the indictment and guilty plea of former Senate Intelligence Committee staffer James Wolfe as part of a national security leak investigation.
Jordan wrote that the Executive Branch appears to have used its “immense law-enforcement authority to gather and search the private communications of multiple Legislative Branch employees who were conducting Constitutional oversight of the Department’s investigative actions — actions that were later found to be unlawful.”
“Because the Department has not complied in full with our requests, we cannot independently determine whether the Department sought to alleviate the heightened separation-of-powers sensitivities involved or whether the Department first sought the information through other means before resorting to legal process,” Jordan added.
“The Committee also has concerns that aspects of the Department’s investigation may have been a pretext to justify piercing the Legislative Branch’s deliberative process and improperly access data from Members and staff involved in conducting oversight of the Department.”
Clear Thoughts (op-ed)
The recent subpoena of Attorney General Merrick Garland by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan is a necessary step in shedding light on the alleged surveillance of Congress members and staff by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The Russiagate controversy, which involved potential surveillance during the Trump administration, is a significant part of this conversation.
If indeed the DOJ has overstepped its boundaries, it raises serious questions about the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches.
Furthermore, the DOJ’s previous justification of its legal process being related to an investigation into unauthorized disclosure of classified information needs more scrutiny.
The recent revelations by Empower Oversight about the DOJ subpoenaing Google for personal communication records of its founder and other staffers further strengthens the need for a thorough investigation.
The balance of power is at stake, and we cannot afford to ignore this.
Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Camille Gilliam
December 20, 2023 at 11:56 pm
Garland is a typical Democrat, a liar, a cheat. and EVIL.
Gerald Lawson
December 25, 2023 at 8:13 pm
You’re on the right track but I fear time will run out before anyone
Will be prosecuted. That this is just another side show for the
People to believe we still have a little bit of the power
That has been taken away from the people who once
New what it was like to live in peace and worship God
Without fear of retribution.
Aj
December 27, 2023 at 6:49 pm
Gee, what makes Congress anything special that would keep Our FBI from Biden’s order last year that all American’s are Now Spyed on my Our Government. Maybe you haven’t heard that Biden issue 2 executive orders last year to give our Goverment the power to spy on American people. Or was that something we’re not suppose to tell? Or is it just a joke? Who knows but what can we do about it!
Lou
December 27, 2023 at 7:11 pm
From this report and others, it appears there are those in leadership positions who act and react outside of both law and patriotism. The issue originates within the parties. It also appears neither is engaged in cleaning up their act. Pay no attention to that men behind the curtains.
G. Trumbauer
December 27, 2023 at 8:40 pm
The one thing we the American citizens can do is to unite and vote out every Dem and RINO out of office. Then the next step is to start a thorough investigation and put everyone of them up on charges of Treason. Since we are in a war with middle eastern countries, they would then fall under the requirements of a firing squad. I do not know if the American people would have the stomach for that. Next would be to remove every Dem Judge and AG as well as DA’s that broke the law for not following the U.S. Constitution which was part of their official requirement to adhere to their legal positions. In addition, go after every multi millionaire and billionaire that created and had taken part of destroying America by turning America into a Communist/Socialist Country and place everyone of them in prison for life. In addition remove all of their funds in their bank accounts and investments and put those funds back into the the American budget.
B. Keene
December 27, 2023 at 9:38 pm
I only hope that Merrick Garland will cooperate with this investigation. Obama wanted to nominate Garland to be in the Supreme Court as I recall. but he was not selected. I wonder why? Is this man unworthy to be in the position He now holds?
We need honest, capable, and true patriots to serve in all three branches of government. The United States of America deserves the best. We are too great a country to give in to dishonesty. Think of all the blood that has been shed by our great service men who gave their lives for our FREEDOM!
Let us teach our American history again in our schools starting with George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and many many more. They gave their time and sacred honor to make our country what it could become.
Like Ronald Reagan said we are only one generation away from losing what got us here in this place.- let us not lose it.
God bless America.
Cynthia
December 28, 2023 at 12:10 am
Garland is a long time Globalist puppet. Obama & Biden put him in the DOJ position as he will do anything they require of him. Anything!
Samson
December 31, 2023 at 8:39 am
We need to weed out all the stinking Democrats from political offices. Every idea they come up with is either corrupt or morally wrong or against God. The Democrats are totally evil. If I was Chick-fil-A I would not comply and stay closed on Sunday anyway, what are they going to do about it? Maybe Chick-fil-A should just pull out of New York all together and build some more restaurants and red States where they are treated with respect.
Get off your asses RINOS
December 27, 2023 at 10:44 pm
All I’m hearing is blah, blah, blah And dragging your Rino feet so farce you’ve all done nothing you talk but do nothing your useless rinos your just wasting taxpayer money like your commie traitor boss biden the fking leftist loser just like you! The fking federal government should close down your all pathetic losers and liars I fking dare you NOT to give one more dimes to Ukraine and do nothing for the southern borderyounfked them again this year! Oh and FYI if you rino motherfkers give one more dimes of tax payer money to that Genocide planned parenthood you have done nothing to stop that to your all fking losers! IMPEACH commie Traitor joe for TREASON and the same goes for the veep and mayorkas for NOT doing their job and lying about it putting American lives in jeopardy which he has done, the illegal fentynalthat has killed thousand of young people on bidens watch that’s TREASON the blood of the murdered people in America since the border crisis is on his hands and yours for doing Nothing!
ARJAY
December 28, 2023 at 3:57 am
Defund and eliminate the doj, NOW! Prosecute ALL who spied on any US citizen.
Wyatt Earp
December 28, 2023 at 5:28 pm
To all the people who want their freedom and liberty. It time to put aside your angry and hate toward each other! All you doing is what these democrats politicians and rino want to happen. America is a country were the people are suppose to have a say in everything these politicians are doing! But that has been taken away from us. So which is it, you want your VOICE heard or you want to watch these politicians sell you as SLAVERY TO CHINA AND SOCIALIST?
Watch your backs demonrats & Rinos
January 16, 2024 at 12:33 am
To little to late Jordan, commie joe has been spying on you moron rinos since day one this is the most corrupt leftist regime in the history of America and ALL you rinos do is bend over for commie traitor joe and sell out Americans he gave America to the UN to run American citizens, the WHO that want to decide our health and he is selling land to Communist China him and his regimes and commie pedo Gates the bug loser man is in on it and you rinos have to sit on a frigging committee and maybe talk about impeaching commie joe, news flash moron biden has committed TREASON against the United States of America 5 times since being in office and you do nothing! Commie joe knew that big giant commie chines balloon was a SPY balloon from the start and lied to Americans again and again! The People of America deserve better but you all have failed Americans! Wray sat in congress and lied his fking ass off and you did nothing your the losers he does nothing to stop his gestapo thugs from harassing American citizens! We the People don’t trust this commie leftist hate regime any longer your all TRAITORS! You sold your wothhless souls to Satan just like commie joe did! KARMA she a biatch and she coming and it ain’t gonna be pretty what she do!
Go Woke Go Broke Rinos
January 16, 2024 at 1:01 am
McConnell, Langford, and all you other fking rinos in the house Close down the southern border for good the People here in America are going without because of you morons wanting more fking illegals in this country 8 million right now is to many and you fking fools to want more on our dime back off Listen up,So called Speaker Johnson if you let these fools pass this Americans will suffer more you do NOT Need 1.68 trillion dollars Close down Commie Traitor Joes Leftist Regime NOW and tell McConnell to stick it he does NOT speak for Americans any longer he’s just a dottering rino old fool! No more illegals Close the Fking Southern Border NOW! You Rinos in the house are out of time you either stop stealing American taxpayers paychecks so we can live Close Down this corrupt leftist commie regimes government No Money to Ukraine No 1.68 trillions dollars you don’t need or have stop stealing our money!