Attorney General Jeff Sessions has tapped the U.S. attorney in Chicago as the official to oversee the production of troves of documents to Republican lawmakers — something President Trump has pressured the Department of Justice to do immediately.
Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray asked John Lausch, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, to supervise the Justice Department’s gathering and handing over of records to the House Judiciary Committee, including documents on alleged surveillance abuses and the Hillary Clinton private email investigation.
The Justice Department is expected to formally announce the decision on Monday.
The move comes less than two weeks after Wray announced the FBI was doubling the number of staff handling the request from Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va.
Goodlatte subpoenaed the Justice Department last month to gain access to the documents, which he first requested alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., in late 2017.
The subpoena deadline was Thursday, and a Republican House Judiciary Committee aide told the Washington Examiner that the panel was working with the Justice Department to take “immediate steps to comply with the subpoena and produce documents to the Committee.”
On Saturday, Trump accused the Justice Department and FBI of “slow walking” the process.
“What does the Department of Justice and FBI have to hide? Why aren’t they giving the strongly requested documents (unredacted) to the HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE? Stalling, but for what reason? Not looking good!” the president said in a tweet.
As president, Trump could order the Justice Department to turn over the records to Congress, and he also has the ability to declassify the documents he so wants.
Lausch was appointed by Trump to his current position in November, and has also served as the assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Illinois. He also has experience in private practice.
The Justice Department said Lausch will also be available to meet with lawmakers.
“The Attorney General and FBI Director understand the concerns of members of Congress and the President about the pace of production and level of redactions in the documents already received by the Committee,” Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said in a statement. “They agree that the Department and the FBI should accommodate the Committee’s request in a timely fashion and in the fullest manner consistent with the Department’s law enforcement and national security responsibilities.”
She added: “By appointing Mr. Lausch to oversee this specific document production, our goal is to assure Congress, the President, and the American people that the FBI is going to produce the relevant documents and will do so completely and with integrity and professionalism.”
The Justice Department also said it would turn over an additional 3,600 pages from the FBI on Monday to the House panel.
