The White House has launched its first salvo against House Republicans in what is expected to be a long battle as GOP lawmakers probe the administration of President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
Biden’s top attorney, in letters received by , argues that Republicans must refile all document requests made over the past year because they had no control over Congress at the time and had no investigative power to establish one make request.
Republicans immediately fired back, accusing the White House of playing political games and leaking the letter to the media before sending it to the legislature. They promised to continue their investigation.
The back-and-forth offers a preview of what to expect over the next two years as Republicans grapple with Biden and his family while the White House staunchly defends the president.
The White House launched its first salvo against Republican lawmakers who want to investigate President Joe Biden (right) and his son Hunter Biden (left).
The White House sent letters to Republican Representatives Jim Jordan (left) and James Comer (right) arguing that their requests for documents made during their time as a minority party in Congress must be resubmitted because they had no investigative powers
In a letter to Republican Reps James Comer and Jim Jordan, first reported by Politico, White House Attorney Richard Sauber said the government would honor the GOP’s demands.
But, he added, the requests for records from Jordan, who is expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee, and Comer, who is set to chair the Oversight Committee, are unconstitutional because only the majority party in the House of Representatives has investigative powers.
“Congress has not delegated these powers to individual members of Congress who are not committee chairs, and the House of Representatives has not done so under its current rules of procedure,” Sauber wrote.
The Republicans won’t take the majority until January 3rd.
Sauber said the White House will comply with all constitutional requirements.
“Should the Committee make similar or different requests at the 118th Congress, we will consider and respond in good faith, consistent with the needs and commitments of both branches. We anticipate that the incoming Congress will exercise its oversight responsibilities in the same spirit of good faith,” he wrote.
The White House argues, going back to the Reagan administration, that senior minority members do not speak for Congress and are therefore unable to initiate the adjustment process on formal investigative requests.
Comer then accused the government of hypocrisy, noting that it had committed itself to transparency but refused to release any documents.
“President Biden has promised to have the most transparent administration in history, but the Biden White House is trying at every turn to obstruct congressional oversight and hide information from the American people,” Comer said in a statement to the DailyMail .com
The Kentucky Republican also vowed to continue the investigation.
“Republicans are undeterred by the hindrance of the Biden administration and will continue to push for the answers, transparency and accountability the American people deserve,” he said.
In the article, Politico notes that White House officials notified them of the letter. Jordan’s office sued the Biden administration to the press before lawmakers.
“Last night the White House LEAKED this ridiculous story to @politico and @HeidiReports,” Jordan’s office wrote on Twitter.
“Then the White House BRIEFS Politico on the story. At 4:34 this morning, the White House sends us the letter. Only after the publication does Politico ask us for an opinion. ‘Good faith.’
Republicans have pledged a series of investigations into the president and his family that will look into the origins of COVID, the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Hunter Biden’s business dealings.
White House letter to Rep. Jim Jordan
White House letter to Rep. James Comer
Republicans have promised a series of investigations into the President and his family — into Hunter Biden, Beau Biden, Jill Biden and President Joe Biden in November
Jordan, a close Donald Trump ally who is not afraid to throw political zingers, has said the House Judiciary Committee under his leadership will also investigate alleged “politicization” at the FBI, and reports the agency has been trying to quell media coverage of the Hunter Biden story in 2020.
“I’ve been in Congress a couple of years now and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Jordan said at a post-election news conference. “Fourteen (FBI) agents speak to us while we are in the minority about how political this place has become.”
It is expected to be a contentious two years of legal wrangling and lawsuits as the GOP probes the president with arguments about what is permissible under Congressional oversight and what would constitute Congressional overstepping.
With the letters, the government is sending an early signal of how it intends to respond to politically motivated investigations into Biden and his family, which it describes as “political stunts.”
“As we have done for the past two years, we intend to work in good faith to provide adequate information to Congress,” said Ian Sams, spokesman for the White House Office.
“Unfortunately, political stunts like minority subpoena threats suggest House Republicans may be spending more time contemplating booking for Hannity than preparing to work together to help the American people,” noted he.
Republicans have claimed President Biden was involved in his son Hunter’s controversial foreign deals, which are said to span 50 different countries.
The president has long denied involvement or knowledge of his son’s foreign operations – some of which are under investigation by federal authorities.
Republicans repeatedly vowed during the 2022 election that they would use their return to power to investigate the Bidens.
The investigation will likely drag on until 2024, when campaigning for the next presidential election begins. Joe Biden has announced that he will run for a second term.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio (left) is expected to chair the House Judiciary Committee, while Rep. James Comer, R-Kentucky (right) is expected to chair the Oversight Committee
Comer has made it clear that the legislature is investigating the president, which is an important difference since the constitution grants the majority in Congress sweeping powers of scrutiny over elected officials.
The White House could argue that investigating the president’s son would go beyond the Republican constitutional framework.
“This is an investigation into Joe Biden,” Comer said at a post-election news conference in November. “I think we’ve presented the evidence as to why we think this is important and we’re going to move forward with that.”
He later said, “We’re trying to focus on that — was Joe Biden directly involved in Hunter Biden’s deals and is he compromised?”
The White House has long been preparing for a series of Republican investigations.
Democrats, led by activist David Brock, have formed Facts First USA – a SWAT team outside the White House to respond to the investigation.
Hunter Biden, meanwhile, has formed his own legal team to respond to the investigation.