Congressional Republicans are reacting to the Biden Administration’s recently-revealed plans to obstruct upcoming congressional investigations, with a spokesman for the White House announcing how the administration will avoid prior investigative requests.
According to Politico, White House Special Counsel Richard Sauber announced on Thursday that the administration will ignore all investigate requests that had already been sent by Congressmen Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and James Comer (R-Ky.), who are set to become the new chairmen of the Judiciary Committee and the Oversight Committee, respectively. As a result, come January 3rd when the new Congress is officially sworn in, both men and any other GOP committee chairs will have to start over and re-submit any such requests to the White House once again.
“At every turn the Biden White House seeks to obstruct congressional oversight and hide information from the American people,” said Comer said in a statement reacting to the news. Comer also said that he is prepared to re-submit all of his previous requests, including demands for any records and documents relating to Hunter Biden’s foreign business deals, the White House’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, and the administration’s response to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
Jordan similarly announced that his strategy will not be changed either as a result of the White House’s decision, declaring that he will resort to using a “compulsory process, if necessary.”
The GOP has long planned to launch a series of investigations into the Biden Administration if it regained a majority in the House of Representatives, which the party ultimately succeeded in doing in the November midterms, albeit by a narrow margin. Other targets for investigation include the crisis on the southern border and the White House’s collusion with Big Tech to censor political opponents, among many other scandals that have unfolded on Biden’s watch.
However, committee chairmen will not be seated until after the House holds its election for Speaker on January 3rd, which is gearing up to be a tight race. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) needs to get at least 218 votes, and thus must win the support of virtually every Republican member of Congress. But at least five conservative members have already publicly threatened to oppose him, which would put him below the threshold of a majority. He is facing a challenge from Congressman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), and speculation has arisen that he may ultimately fall short once again, just as he did in his Speakership bid 7 years ago.