White House accuses Jordan of effort to 'harass and intimidate' Biden ghostwriter
![White House accuses Jordan of effort to 'harass and intimidate' Biden ghostwriter](https://thehill.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/jordanjim_061224gn02_w.jpg?w=900)
The White House on Tuesday accused House Judiciary Committee Republicans of working “to harass and intimidate a private citizen” after they scheduled a meeting to consider a contempt referral for President Biden’s ghostwriter.
The House Judiciary Committee plans to meet Thursday to mark up a resolution to hold Mark Zwonitzer in contempt of Congress after he failed to turn over audio tapes and notes from his interviews with Biden.
In a letter to Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Edward Siskel, counsel to the president, argues that Zwonitzer is not in a position to comply with the request as “there are significant Executive Branch interests at stake.”
“The Committee’s actions are an obvious example of the very weaponization of government for political purposes that you claim to decry. Putting a private citizen in your political crosshairs and threatening him with criminal prosecution, simply because you refuse to engage with the Executive Branch, is out of bounds,” Siskel wrote in a letter obtained by The Hill.
“If you were sincerely interested in examining the handling of classified information, you would engage with the Executive Branch, not a private citizen with no authority related to classified information.”
The committee did not respond to a request for comment.
Republicans asked for Zwonitzer’s materials after special counsel Robert Hur noted in his report documenting his investigation into Biden’s handling of classified records that the president appeared to have read passages from his own notebooks that referenced classified information.
“Based on the information in Special Counsel Hur’s report, President Biden’s assertion that he never shared classified information with you appears to be false,” Jordan wrote in February when initially requesting the information.
Zwonitzer through his attorneys has noted that he turned the materials over to the Justice Department. While he initially deleted recordings of his conversation with Biden, the department was able to recover them.
“The Department continues to have possession, custody, and control of those files,” Zwonitzer’s attorneys wrote in a May letter suggesting the panel deal directly with DOJ.
Zwonitzer’s attorney noted the personal nature of most of the interviews and materials needed to prep Biden’s memoir, adding they would not serve any legitimate legislative purpose.
Siskel also noted the personal nature of the discussions, pointing to a court decision regarding the effort to secure former President Trump’s taxes.
“The Supreme Court recently made clear that congressional attempts to seek the personal information of the sitting President raise ‘significant separation of powers issues,’” he wrote.
“Congressional demands for the private information of the President ‘implicate the relationship between the branches’ and ‘may aim to harass the President.’”
Jordan’s interest in Zwonitzer comes after House Republicans voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for failing to turn over audio tapes of Biden’s conversation with Hur.
Biden claimed executive privilege over the tapes, a detail the Justice Department determined shields Garland from prosecution.
Hur declined to prosecute Zwonizter in connection with his investigation, writing that “the evidence falls short of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Zwonitzer intended to impede an investigation.”
Siskel noted that Republicans “have gone so far as to demand that Mr. Zwonitzer be criminally prosecuted, despite the Special Counsel … declining such action after an investigation that lasted more than a year.”
Date: | |
Tag: | Joe Biden |
Filter
-
Politico - Politics
House GOP advances effort to hold Biden’s ghostwriter in contempt of Congress
Joe Biden -
Financial Times - Business
Who is winning the White House race — Biden or Trump?
With just over four months to go, the US presidential contest is tightJoe Biden -
The Hill - Politics
White House, Biden campaign slam replacement chatter after debate
President Biden’s campaign aides and top surrogates scrambled Friday to shut down talk he might drop out of the race following a disastrous showing at a debate with former President Trump. A campaign official dismissed talk of Biden withdrawing, ...Joe Biden -
The New York Times - Top stories
The White House Brushed Off Questions About Biden’s Age. Then the Debate Happened.
President Biden’s allies can no longer wave away concerns about his capacity after his unsteady performance at Thursday’s debate as worries among Democrats grow.Joe Biden -
The Hill - Politics
White House to hold conference for digital creators
The Biden administration will host digital creators at the White House for the first-ever Creator Economy Conference in August, the director of digital strategy announced Friday. The conference, which will be held Aug. 14, will bring together ... -
ABC News - Health
US miners' union head calls House Republican effort to block silica dust rule an 'attack' on workers
The head of the national mine workers’ union is condemning an effort by House Republicans to block enforcement of a long-awaited federal rule directed at curbing workers’ exposure to deadly rock dust -
The Hill - Politics
White House sends Congress funding request to cover Baltimore bridge collapse costs
The White House on Friday submitted an emergency supplemental funding request to Congress seeking billions of dollars to cover the costs of the collapse of a major bridge in Baltimore and other needs. White House budget director Shalanda Young ... -
ABC News - Top stories
The White House wants $4 billion to rebuild Key Bridge in Baltimore and respond to other disasters
The White House is seeking roughly $4 billion in additional emergency funding from Congress for costs related to the collapse and repair of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore and to respond to other disasters that have occurred around the ... -
NBC News - Politics
Biden thanks supporters and visits a Waffle House after Atlanta debate
President Joe Biden stopped by a campaign-sponsored viewing party in Atlanta following his debate with Donald Trump. He later went to collect an order from a Waffle House. At both stops he accused Trump of lying during the debate.Joe Biden -
The Hill - Politics
Shell-shocked House Democrats question keeping Biden at the top of the ticket
A growing chorus of alarmed House Democrats say President Biden’s faltering performance in the debate the night before raises immediate questions about whether he should remain at the top of the ticket in this year’s presidential contest. Such ...Joe Biden
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
Utah governor doubts Kinzinger, Cheney 'changing hearts and minds'
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) said that he thinks former Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) and Adam Kinzinger (Ill.), two Republicans who are often critical of former President Trump, aren’t “changing hearts and minds.” “I don’t know that they’re changing ... -
The Hill - Politics
Biden campaign says debate 'did not change the horse race'
President Biden’s campaign said in a memo Saturday that his poor showing in Thursday night's presidential debate “did not change the horse race.” “Flash polls from CNN, 538, SurveyUSA, Morning Consult, and Data for Progress show what we expected: ...Joe Biden -
The Hill - Politics
Beryl strengthens into first hurricane of 2024 Atlantic season. Here’s what you should know
Hurricane Beryl became a hurricane Saturday, the first of the 2024 Atlantic season, according to discussions from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). “Beryl continues to rapidly strengthen, and has now become a hurricane,” the NHC said in a ... -
The Hill - Politics
Ex-Trump official lauds Supreme Court ruling on Jan. 6 riot cases: 'Absolutely right'
Former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker (R) said that the Supreme Court was “absolutely right” in blocking the Justice Department (DOJ) from charging Jan. 6 rioters with obstruction. Whitaker, who served as former President Trump’s Acting ...Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Haley urges Trump to prepare for younger rival after Biden debate chaos
Former GOP presidential primary candidate Nikki Haley urged former President Trump in a Wall Street Journal article published Saturday to get ready to face a younger rival following a problematic debate performance from President Biden. “They are ...Joe Biden