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The State Department turned over documents to two Senate committees that are investigating the Bidens.
But when a House committee asked for copies, State refused.
Our @AREvers & @MMCinDC on why this is so petty & corrupt. https://www.justsecurity.org/71988/exclusive-obstruction-at-all-costs-the-state-departments-petty-document-fight-with-congress/
But when a House committee asked for copies, State refused.
Our @AREvers & @MMCinDC on why this is so petty & corrupt. https://www.justsecurity.org/71988/exclusive-obstruction-at-all-costs-the-state-departments-petty-document-fight-with-congress/
After Joe Biden clinched the Democratic nomination, Republican Senators Ron Johnson and Chuck Grassley ramped up their investigations of Ukrainian company Burisma and the Bidens, despite numerous officials’ statements that the allegations were not credible.
While State has supplied the Senate Republicans with many documents related to the Bidens and Burisma, it has stonewalled HFAC requests for documents related to the fast-tracked Saudi arms deal, the removal of Ambassador Yovanovitch, and the firing of State’s inspector general.
State’s refusal to give Democrats copies of documents of questionable importance that it already released to Republicans shows its commitment to obstructing oversight. But its justification for withholding them shows a deeper corruption of power.
State’s reasons for not releasing documents to HFAC include:
-HFAC hasn’t indicated it opened an investigation (it has)
-State doesn’t have a tradition of providing “courtesy copies” to committees of jurisdiction (it does)
-HFAC hasn’t indicated it opened an investigation (it has)
-State doesn’t have a tradition of providing “courtesy copies” to committees of jurisdiction (it does)
-HFAC’s request “lacks a legislative purpose” (this could apply just as easily to the Senate’s)
-Some of the documents requested weren’t requested before and might be privileged (State could still turn over the documents it already turned over to the Senate)
-Some of the documents requested weren’t requested before and might be privileged (State could still turn over the documents it already turned over to the Senate)
The State Department’s arguments just confirm what has been obvious: it was not going to turn over the documents to HFAC because the committee requesting them is chaired by a Democrat who is not loyal to Trump.
