Proposed House Subpoena Authority Could Signal New Twist in Biden Probes
The political landscape braces for a renewed wave of investigations into President Joe Biden and his family, following a prospective policy change up for vote this week.
The rules legislation, if passed, would maintain the existing investigations into the Biden family well beyond his presidency, empowering the House Judiciary Committee with the ability to issue previously thwarted subpoenas to DOJ figures, as the Washington Examiner reports.
Should the rules measure for the 119th Congress pass this week, it would pave the way for the House Judiciary Committee to issue an array of previously impeded subpoenas.
Attorney General Among Potential Targets for Subpoenas
The Judiciary Committee has signaled its intention to subpoena Attorney General Merrick Garland, as part of the inquiry into Robert Hur's investigation concerning Biden's dealings with classified documents during his vice presidency.
Garland has previously managed to avoid contempt charges from Congress by invoking executive privilege, a move which was backed by President Biden.
The AG stood firm on the controversial decision, asserting that the integrity of future law enforcement investigations depended on this step.
Republicans Push for Access to Controversial Tapes
The Republican camp stressed the importance of the inaccessible interview tapes, in light of allegations that Biden shared classified information with his memoir ghostwriter, based on Hur's report.
Despite the severe nature of the allegations, Biden remained innocent in the eyes of the law as Hur chose not to press charges.
Hur instead attributed the incidents to Biden's declining memory rather than any malevolent intent.
The newly proposed legislation could also empower the Judiciary Committee to subpoena Justice Department attorneys Mark Daly and Jack Morgan, who were involved in the investigations into Hunter Biden.
Scrutiny Rises Against Justice Department's Resistance
The Committee's previous attempts to gather testimony from Morgan and Daly met with resistance from the DOJ.
Republicans stepped up their efforts last year, suing the pair for defying subpoenas and refusing to appear for depositions.
This lawsuit was grounded in the House's impeachment inquiry against Biden, revolving around whether Hunter Biden might have benefited from preferential treatment by the department.
House investigators hope that insights from Morgan and Daly might answer whether Joe Biden had a role in influencing a softer approach by the DOJ towards Hunter's dealings.
Prior Investigations Spark Continued Questions
The House Oversight and Judiciary Committees have spent a considerable duration of two years conducting extensive investigations into the Biden family, in pursuit of any potential criminal activities.
The report, however, published earlier this year, did not provide evidence to validate any criminal allegations.
Now, with the new legislation on the horizon, it's clear the search for answers is set to continue.
With the proposed rules legislation and its feasible impacts on the existing Biden investigations, it is apparent that the focus of the political narrative will remain on the developments of this inquiry.