The House clerk announced on Monday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has subpoenaed the House for records, and that subpoena reportedly was for a House Democrat who is being investigated for misusing personal security funds.
UPDATE
Jake Sherman at Punchbowl News tweeted:
🚨BREAKING NEWS — @TheJusticeDept is investigating a House Democrat for allegedly misusing government money meant for personal security.
This was the subpoena read out on the House floor today.
MUCH MORE in @PunchbowlNews PM
(Punchbowl News text alert out to subscribers…
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 29, 2024
The clerk read:
The honorable speaker, House of Representatives. Sir, this is to notify you formally, pursuant to rule 8 of the rules of the House of Representatives, that the office of the Sergeant at Arms for the House of Representatives has been served with a grand jury subpoena for documents issued by the U.S. Department of Justice. After consulting with the Office of General Counsel, I have determined that compliance with the subpoena is consistent with the rights and derivatives of the House. Signed, sincerely, William P. McFarland, Sergeant at Arms of the House of Representatives.
Video:
The DOJ could be subpoenaing the House for records about anything. However, former Rep. George Santos is reportedly trying to work out a plea deal with the DOJ, and the major investigation that has grand juries working is the 1/6 probe.
It is likely that the Department of Justice subpoenaed the House for records related to the 1/6 attack. Those records could be related to the cases against insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol or the federal case against Donald Trump that is related to his efforts to illegally stay in power after losing the 2020 election.
No matter what it involves, the fact that the DOJ is serving the House of Representatives with subpoenas should have House Republicans, who have been trying to whitewash and sweep the 1/6 attack under the rug, very concerned.
The communication doesn’t mean that House Republicans are under investigation, but it does suggest that the DOJ is looking for more records about something that the legislative body would have information on.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
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