Democrats accuse GOP of overstepping authority on Trump probes

Top Democratic leaders this week are racing to the defense of the Biden administration’s investigations into former President Trump, saying Republicans have overstepped their authority in demanding the release of Justice Department (DOJ) documents related to those ongoing probes.

“Congress is the legislative branch,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), vice chairman of the Democratic Caucus, said during a press briefing in the Capitol. “We do not interfere in ongoing law enforcement investigations.”

The comments came in response to a new effort by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a vocal Trump ally and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to obtain more information about special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into the former president.

In a letter sent Tuesday morning to Attorney General Merrick Garland, who appointed Smith to the post last November, Jordan is demanding that the DOJ release the initial memo outlining the scope of Smith’s investigative duties. 

“We previously requested information and documents related to the FBI’s raid on President Trump’s residence and its subsequent investigation,” Jordan wrote. “Because you have not provided this information, and in light of your appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel, we write to request an unredacted copy of the memorandum outlining the scope of Mr. Smith’s probes regarding President Trump and any supporting documentation related to his appointment as special counsel.”

Jordan has requested that the documents be turned over by June 20 at the latest. 

Lieu, a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, said the request constitutes a politically motivated encroachment into an independent, executive branch investigation. He warned Jordan not to hold his breath for the documents. 

“Law enforcement should be allowed to do its job. It is, frankly, outrageous that you have Chairman Jordan trying to interfere in an ongoing federal investigation,” Lieu said. “And by the way, the Department of Justice is just going to ignore it.”

Appointed last November, Smith has been focused on several different episodes involving Trump since his defeat at the polls in 2020, including his effort to overturn the results of the election and the circumstances surrounding the subsequent discovery of classified documents at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in South Florida. 

Jordan and other Trump allies in Congress have accused the DOJ of conducting a “witch-hunt” in order to damage Trump politically, heading into a 2024 election contest where he is far-and-away the leading contender for the GOP nomination. 

The Biden administration has rejected those charges, and Democrats on Capitol Hill are backing those assertions. 

“This is a House Republican conference that has talked routinely about defunding the FBI,” Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), chairman of the Democratic Caucus, told reporters Tuesday. “This is a next step in that conversation where clearly they are caving to the most extreme elements within their conference.”