The Justice Department and FBI complied with all subpoenas from the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, a top department official told the panels’ chairmen on Friday.
In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said that the DOJ and FBI “believe that they have now substantially complied with” the sizable documents requests from the two panels.
“[A]ny residual or ongoing production of the materials will be expeditiously completed in coordination with staff members from the appropriate committees,” wrote Boyd in the letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.
Last week, the House passed a resolution demanding demanding the DOJ hand over a large swath of documents related to the FBI’s investigations into both Hillary Clinton’s private email and Russia — at the same time Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told lawmakers the agencies have been making “unprecedented disclosures” to Congress.
Though the resolution was nonbinding and unenforceable, it represented a significant escalation in a monthslong feud over documents requests stemming from subpoenas from the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees, which included an impeachment threat from House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C.
Boyd told Goodlatte and Nunes the Justice Department “recognizes your continued leadership” on congressional oversight, and “appreciates the willingness of you and your staffs to clarify, focus and prioritize outstanding requests such that the Department may more effectively accommodate your inquiry consistent with recognized confidentially interests.”
More than 880,000 pages of documents have been made available to the House Judiciary Committee, and production remains ongoing and collaborative, the Justice Department said.
“[I]t is also important to note the length to which the Department and FBI have gone to provide thousands of pages of responsive documents to Congress,” Boyd wrote.
In addition to complying with the subpoenas, other documents given to the House Judiciary and Intelligence Committees include memos kept by former FBI Director James Comey, documents related to a FISA application, electronic communication authorizing the Russia investigation and thousands of text messages between FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI attorney Lisa Page.
“The Department maintains that this extraordinary, voluminous and ongoing production of documents and other materials responsive [to the requests] demonstrates its commitment to work with your committees to provide materials responsive to your requests in a manner that does not harm the integrity of any ongoing investigation,” wrote Boyd.
