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The unauthorized disclosure of U.S. military personnel records by the Air Force to an opposition research firm funded by Democrats is now under investigation by the House &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-republicans-to-start-committee-on-weaponization-of-the-federal-government-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Weaponization Committee</a>.&#8221;
Leading the charge are Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT), a <a href="https://stewart.house.gov/about/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">former Air Force pilot</a>. They <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/631712073/Weaponization-Airforce-Leak-Letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent a letter</a> on Thursday to the military branch&#8217;s top official seeking various documents and communications, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> can reveal.
&#8220;To advance our oversight and to inform potential legislative reforms, we write to request information about this serious breach of our servicemembers’ personal information,&#8221; the congressmen wrote.
The House Judiciary Committee and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government &#8220;are investigating the mass collection and dissemination of information about American citizens by federal agencies,&#8221; they added.
At issue are revelations starting last fall when POLITICO published a profile of Indiana GOP House candidate Jennifer-Ruth Green, <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/10/07/shes-black-and-conservative-in-a-democratic-district-is-she-about-to-take-off-politically-00060703" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which revealed</a> she had been sexually assaulted while in the military. The candidate, who ultimately lost her race, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/air-force-takes-full-responsibility-jennifer-ruth-green-sexual-assault-leak-congressmen-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Fox News</a> the information used for the report was illegally obtained.
An Air Force audit found “there was an unauthorized release of military duty information on 11 individuals&#8221; after &#8220;employees did not follow proper procedures requiring the member&#8217;s authorizing signature consenting to the release of information,&#8221; service spokeswoman Ann Stefanek told The Daily Wire. Two <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dirty-tricks-by-democrat-operatives-air-force-released-gop-candidates-private-info" target="_blank" rel="noopener">members of Congress</a> — Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE) and Zach Nunn (R-IA) — divulged that their records were among those leaked between October 2021 and October 2022.
Some Republican leaders have already <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-gop-demands-answers-pentagon-leaked-records-jennifer-ruth-green-sexual-assault" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requested information</a> from the Defense Department.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), an Air Force veteran, said she has reason to believe her records were also leaked, and predicted there will be a criminal investigation.
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
The USAF, after admitting that records of service members were wrongfully obtained, just let me know that they will need until 3/17 to give us the information we requested. Today was the deadline. The USAF leaked information of USAF candidates in the 2022 midterms to a DEMOCRAT… <a href="https://t.co/toXBoPEojZ">https://t.co/toXBoPEojZ</a>
&mdash; Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) <a href="https://twitter.com/realannapaulina/status/1630249190080106497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Maj. Gen. Troy Dunn, commander of the Air Force Personnel Center, <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000186-5bcf-de7f-a9ee-7fdf748e0000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sent a letter</a> to Bacon stating that Abraham Payton, identified as an analyst with a research firm called Due Diligence LLC, “inappropriately requested copies of your military personnel records for the stated purpose of employment and benefits&#8221; and had possession of Bacon&#8217;s social security number at the time of the request.
<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/02/21/gop-lawmakers-air-force-records-00083694" target="_blank" rel="noopener">POLITICO reported</a> that Payton is a former research director for the Democratic political group American Bridge. The report also said Federal Election Commission records show the Due Diligence Group, <a href="https://www.duediligencegroupllc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which claims to</a> &#8220;specialize in using public records research to provide our clients with the knowledge and insights needed to drive strategic decision making,&#8221; received a little over $110,000 between January 2021 and December 2022 from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
As of now, there is no indication that the DCCC coordinated with the Due Diligence Group to obtain the records. And it wasn&#8217;t immediately clear whether Due Diligence was behind all the requests that led to the 11 unauthorized disclosures, <a href="https://armedservices.house.gov/news/press-releases/rogers-comer-demand-answers-dod-improper-release-personnel-files" target="_blank" rel="noopener">though Republican lawmakers</a> have said Green&#8217;s information was released to the same group and the Air Force told POLITICO that “virtually all” of the 11 disclosures were made to an individual &#8220;who represented himself as a background investigator seeking service records for employment purposes.&#8221;
Stefanek, the Air Force spokeswoman, insisted there was &#8220;no evidence of political motivation or malicious intent on the part of any employee&#8221; at the service. The Air Force &#8220;takes full responsibility for releasing the personally identifiable information of these individuals,&#8221; she added. &#8220;Records-release procedures have been improved by elevating the approval level for release of information to third parties and conducting intensified retraining for personnel who handle record requests.&#8221;
Still, &#8220;OSAF may have violated Department of Defense policies and federal law,&#8221; Jordan and Stewart wrote in their letter. &#8220;While the Air Force has rightfully taken responsibility for these inappropriate OMPF [Official Military Personnel Files] disclosures, questions remain unanswered about the U.S. Air Force’s collection, maintenance, and dissemination of this sensitive information.&#8221;
Jordan and Stewart requested from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall a slew of documents and communications, including those related to Due Diligence Group dating back to the beginning of 2021. They also asked for a &#8220;complete list of names of current or former OSAF employees involved in or responsible for the improper release of OMPFs for the period of January 1, 2021, to the present, as well as any administrative or disciplinary action(s) taken against them.&#8221;
The lawmakers set a deadline of 5 p.m. on March 30.
The Air Force informed The Daily Wire it has &#8220;received several requests for information based on the unauthorized release and will respond as quickly as possible.&#8221;
The Daily Wire also reached out to the Due Diligence Group and the DCCC seeking comment on the new letter.
This report has been updated with comment from the Air Force.
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Reps Jim Jordan and Chris Stewart

Weaponization Committee Launches Probe Into Air Force Leak

Congress

Jim Jordan

U.S.

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Military

Veteran journalist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/matt-taibbi-releases-new-twitter-files-info-showing-feds-pushed-twitter-over-propaganda-actors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Matt Taibbi</a> gave a House Democrat a piece of his mind and a portion of his resume after she mocked his credentials at a contentious Capitol Hill hearing Thursday.
The exchange with Rep. Stacey Plaskett, (D-VI), came in a hearing held by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jim-jordan-subpoenas-big-tech-executives-in-collusion-investigation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan</a> (R-OH), whose subcommittee on the weaponization of government is looking into the Federal Trade Commission’s treatment of Twitter. Plaskett was preparing to question Taibbi and fellow journalist Michael Schellenberger, two of the independent journalists to whom Twitter owner Elon Musk turned over damning internal communications from before he bought the platform.
“This isn’t just about what data was given to these so-called journalists before us now,” Plaskett said. “There are many legitimate questions about where Musk got the financing to buy Twitter.”
Taibbi waited patiently for his chance to speak, and then defended the reputation he has built as a journalist for over three decades.
“I’m not a ‘so-called journalist,’” Taibbi said. “I’ve won the National Magazine Award, the IF Stone award for independent journalism, and I’ve written 10 books, including four New York Times best-sellers.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
To Democrats, &quot;journalist&quot; means: one who mindlessly and loyally endorses DNC talking points. <a href="https://twitter.com/mtaibbi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mtaibbi</a>&#39;s response to some random member of Congress who called him a &quot;so-called journalist&quot;: <a href="https://t.co/tjIN8rSOin">pic.twitter.com/tjIN8rSOin</a> <a href="https://t.co/b77Ffndg1g">https://t.co/b77Ffndg1g</a>
&mdash; Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) <a href="https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1633865976860254208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The combative hearing followed Jordan’s release of an 18-page report that included excerpts of letters from the FTC to Twitter. The Ohio lawmaker accused the FTC of “orchestrating an aggressive campaign to harass Twitter” in an act of “partisan pressure to target Twitter and silence Musk.”
The FTC, which has been probing Twitter since before Musk bought the company, recently demanded that Twitter reveal the names of all journalists who have been given access to internal Twitter communications. The probe began after a whistleblower complained that Twitter had violated a 2011 settlement that imposed privacy safeguards.
Plaskett, a non-voting member of the House and the panel’s ranking member, pressed Taibbi and Schellenberger about how they vetted internal Twitter emails and instant messages. The pair, along with Bari Weiss, through their “Twitter Files” series, have helped reveal how Twitter worked with government agencies including the FBI to suppress conservatives on the platform.
Plaskett appeared to be demanding to know who Taibbi had spoken with inside the company, but the 30-year journalist firmly declined to reveal his sources. When she told him that the Substack and Twitter threads he composed on his findings represented his subjective selection of information, Taibbi replied that the same could be said of virtually any news story.
Jordan chastised Plaskett for trying to force a journalist to name sources, which Plaskett denied doing.
“I just think this is interesting,” Jordan said. “First the FTC is asking for your backgrounds, and now the ranking member on the Committee on the Weaponization of Government is asking for your sources.”

Matt Taibbi, Stacey Placket

Dem Congresswoman Takes Shot At Twitter Files Journalist. He Immediately Shreds Her.

Elon Musk

Twitter

U.S. House of Representatives

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) went on a tear Wednesday against Dr. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/anthony-fauci" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anthony Fauci</a> over the longtime government health official&#8217;s resistance to the theory that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID</a> came from a lab leak in Wuhan, China.
&#8220;He was trying to cover his backside, and everybody knows it,&#8221; Jordan declared <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/investigating-the-origins-of-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">during a hearing of the</a> Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic. &#8220;And that&#8217;s the part that ticks us off.&#8221;
&#8220;This is the highest paid guy in our government getting all kinds of money to tell us things that were not accurate,&#8221; Jordan continued. &#8220;We now know U.S. tax dollars went to a lab in China, a lab that was not up to code, a lab that was doing gain-of-function research, and that&#8217;s where this thing most definitely came from.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: <a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jim_Jordan</a> DEMOLISHES Fauci’s COVID origins story <a href="https://t.co/k9muabjAS7">pic.twitter.com/k9muabjAS7</a>
&mdash; House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JudiciaryGOP/status/1633515940204691456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-intel-prompts-energy-dept-to-assess-covid-likely-leaked-from-wuhan-lab-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New intelligence reportedly led the Energy Department</a> to assess with &#8220;low confidence&#8221; that the pandemic likely began with a lab leak, a shift from its prior stance of being undecided. Some scientists and many Republicans have long claimed that the virus originated in a lab and that China has been engaged in a cover-up, which <a href="https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3087915/china-denies-coronavirus-cover-and-insists-relations-rest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beijing has denied</a>. Other U.S. agencies and a <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/09/who-outlines-wuhan-findings-on-origins-of-covid-pandemic.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preliminary World Health Organization assessment</a> from 2021 have placed more faith in the natural emergence theory — <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-blames-attacks-on-china-not-china-for-covid-origins-impasse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a view that Fauci has favored</a>.
A longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Fauci became the face of the federal government&#8217;s response to COVID during the Trump and Biden administrations. He even became President Joe Biden&#8217;s chief medical adviser, a role in which he served until his retirement from government at the end of last year.
Republicans who have pledged to investigate Fauci have placed a major focus on federal funding for bat coronavirus research with ties to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Fauci <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/04/fauci-says-rand-paul-egregiously-incorrect-about-gain-of-function-research.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vociferously denies</a> the work amounted to gain-of-function research. But money that went elsewhere also has attracted interest from investigators.
During his five minutes, Jordan raced through a timeline of events during the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020 and questioned why a pair of leading virologists <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/covid-lab-leak-virologist-changed-tune-fauci-funding" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared to flip</a> from favoring the lab leak theory to rejecting the hypothesis without the emergence of new scientific data. A possible explanation, Jordan offered, was <a href="https://andersen-lab.com/new-niaid-funded-center-established/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a grant</a> for nearly $9 million. &#8220;There&#8217;s 9 million reasons why they changed their mind,&#8221; the congressman quipped.
Jordan also talked about how the government&#8217;s COVID task force kept former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, who was a witness at the hearing Wednesday, &#8220;out of the loop&#8221; for having a different view to not so quickly discount the theory that COVID emerged from a lab leak.
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&#8220;Keeping him out of the loop probably — potentially could have harmed America —&#8221; Jordan said, before taking a moment to collect his thoughts. &#8220;That&#8217;s the thing that ticks us all off,&#8221; he went on to say before expressing how important it is to get to the bottom of COVID&#8217;s origins.

SEE IT: Jim Jordan Goes On Tear Against Dr. Anthony Fauci Over COVID Origins

Anthony Fauci

China

COVID

COVID-19

House Republicans are subpoenaing Nina Jankowicz, who was the Biden administration&#8217;s short-lived &#8220;disinformation&#8221; czar.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) said on Monday that Jankowicz, who achieved <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/my-ears-want-to-commit-suicide-greg-gutfeld-bashes-thought-police-over-new-chiefs-mary-poppins-mash-up" target="_blank" rel="noopener">viral fame and mockery for</a> her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-disinfo-czar-mocked-over-viral-musical-video" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video singing</a> about the manipulation of information to the tune of the “Mary Poppins” song “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,&#8221; and two other targets for subpoenas ignored voluntary requests for a transcribed interview.
&#8220;We have repeatedly sought information from you concerning your official actions and duties as a DHS employee and former Executive Director of the Board, including how the Board intended to define disinformation, how it planned to collect information and from what sources, how it anticipated countering disinformation, and how it proposed to protect First Amendment rights,&#8221; Jordan wrote in his <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2023-03-06-jankowicz-deposition-subpoena-cover-letter.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter to Jankowicz and her lawyer</a>s.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Nina Jankowicz, director of the new &#39;Disinformation Governance Board&#39; under DHS is here singing about &#8230;. *sigh* &quot;disinformation&quot; <a href="https://t.co/vjdtDizTEu">pic.twitter.com/vjdtDizTEu</a>
&mdash; Henrik Palmgren 🇸🇪 ᛟ (@Henrik_Palmgren) <a href="https://twitter.com/Henrik_Palmgren/status/1520127383583420416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Chip Slaven, the former interim executive director and CEO of the National School Boards Association (NSBA), and Viola Garcia, the former President of the NSBA, also received subpoenas.
They &#8220;co-signed the September 2021 letter to President Biden requesting federal law enforcement assistance to target parents voicing concerns at local school board meetings,&#8221; a press release from Jordan&#8217;s office said. &#8220;That letter led to an October 4, 2021, memorandum that directed the FBI to establish a &#8216;threat tag&#8217; to investigate Americans.&#8221;
Jankowicz is the former executive director of the Department of Homeland Security&#8217;s (DHS) Disinformation Governance Board, which was <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/08/24/following-hsac-recommendation-dhs-terminates-disinformation-governance-board" target="_blank" rel="noopener">disbanded last year</a> in the face of intense criticism by Republicans.
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In a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV66xYwukOk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">video posted to YouTube</a> last week, Jankowicz claimed the board was subject to &#8220;baseless claims&#8221; that it was an Orwellian &#8220;Ministry of Truth&#8221; and she was President Joe Biden&#8217;s &#8220;chief censor.&#8221;
Jankowicz said her job really was meant &#8220;to make sure different entities within DHS were coordinated, to bring the latest research to bear in the Department, and to help the Department set up policies to ensure its existing counter-disinformation work was grounded in American values: privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.&#8221;
Though the focus of the video was to <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/ex-biden-administration-disinformation-czar-crowdfunding-lawsuit-to-hold-fox-accountable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promote a crowdfunding effort</a> to sue Fox News over coverage of her, Jankowicz also claimed Jordan lied about her and the work that she has done, <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/ex-biden-administration-disinformation-czar-crowdfunding-lawsuit-to-hold-fox-accountable/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to National Review</a>.
The Daily Wire reached out to Lawrence &amp; Bundy LLC, which Jordan indicated was her legal representation in his letter, for comment. The Daily Wire also reached out to NSBA for comment.
This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.

Nina Jankowicz

House Republicans Subpoena Biden’s ‘Mary Poppins’ Disinformation Czar

Disinformation Governance Board

subpoena

At this year&#8217;s Conservative Political Action Conference (<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cpac" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CPAC</a>), House Judiciary Committee Chairman <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jim-jordan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jim Jordan</a> (R-OH) shared how, in a few short months, he is setting the pace in regard to subpoenas during this session of Congress.
&#8220;We&#8217;ve actually done several,&#8221; Jordan said on Thursday. &#8220;I think maybe more than &#8230; I think the rest of the Congress combined.&#8221;
Jordan, who has sent subpoenas for investigations into a <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/media/in-the-news/exclusive-jim-jordan-subpoenas-doj-documents-school-boards-issue" target="_blank" rel="noopener">school board issue</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jim-jordan-subpoenas-big-tech-executives-in-collusion-investigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Tech</a>, did not divulge who may be targeted next, but his comments came a day after he sent a <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/media/press-releases/chairmen-jordan-and-turner-send-final-batch-letters-intelligence-officials-who" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;final&#8221; batch of letters</a> to a group of U.S. intelligence veterans for an investigation related to President Joe Biden&#8217;s adult son Hunter Biden.
These 51 former officials signed a statement in October 2020 that &#8220;falsely implied&#8221; reporting about Hunter Biden — in particular a laptop that allegedly contained information about his shady business dealings and personal life — was &#8220;the product of Russian disinformation&#8221; weeks before the presidential election, Jordan and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael Turner (R-OH) wrote.
GOP leaders <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house-gop-demand-records-from-ex-intel-officials-about-hunter-biden-laptop-letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previously reached out</a> to these former spy officials before Republicans took over the House. Now that they are armed with subpoena power, Jordan and Turner are demanding &#8220;full&#8221; compliance &#8220;immediately&#8221; with their requests for documents and testimony.
While the letters do not indicate a specific deadline, Jordan upped the ante in his remarks at CPAC, taking aim at security clearances the signees may still hold, which the congressman described as a lucrative arrangement.
&#8220;I would bet every one of those 51 former intel officials who signed that letter — that now-famous letter,&#8221; Jordan said. &#8220;I would bet every one of them still has a security clearance. Why?&#8221;
&#8220;I think it&#8217;s for their personal benefit,&#8221; Jordan continued. &#8220;I think that that&#8217;s something that has value, and frankly they probably make money off the idea that they can get information. And many of them are contributors on various TV networks. So, why should they have a security clearance? That&#8217;s maybe one of the things we propose as legislation to help remedy some of the problems.&#8221;
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Though the letters to the intelligence officials stress how documents and testimony &#8220;are necessary to further our oversight,&#8221; Jordan&#8217;s focus on legislation could become a critical sticking point in the months ahead as the Republicans push for cooperation.
Hunter Biden&#8217;s attorney recently denied the House Oversight Committee&#8217;s request for information, <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3851602-hunter-biden-attorney-rejects-house-oversight-request-for-records/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claiming it had &#8220;no legislative purpose.&#8221;</a> The panel&#8217;s chairman, James Comer (R-KY), followed up in an interview by repeatedly stressing his investigation into Hunter Biden is essential to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-comer-says-hunter-biden-probe-critical-for-legislative-fix" target="_blank" rel="noopener">creating a &#8220;legislative fix&#8221;</a> to prevent unsavory financial entanglements involving the President of the United States.
The 2020 election took place more than two years ago, but it was not until after Jordan and Turner began sending out the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jim-jordan-puts-a-dozen-intel-veterans-on-notice-over-hunter-biden-laptop-letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new batch of letters last month</a> that one of the statement&#8217;s most prominent signees, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-spy-chief-accuses-politico-of-distorting-letter-on-hunter-biden-laptop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared to break ranks</a>. Clapper accused POLITICO, the news outlet that first reported the statement, of &#8220;deliberately&#8221; misrepresenting their message by <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/19/hunter-biden-story-russian-disinfo-430276" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publishing a headline</a> that said the former intelligence officials were claiming the story was &#8220;Russian disinfo.&#8221;
The 2020 statement itself said the laptop&#8217;s alleged contents &#8220;has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation,&#8221; but it stressed the signees did not know if emails being reported at the time were genuine and insisted they had no evidence of Russian involvement. POLITICO defended its reporting about the statement.
Other signees have shown less of an appetite to speak publicly about the 2020 statement. During a counterintelligence-focused event last week, <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/fbi-counterintel-leader-wont-say-hunter-biden-laptop-letter-harmed-trust-public" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a Washington Examiner reporter asked</a> whether the statement could harm the public&#8217;s trust in the intelligence community, and by extension, damage its ability to warn about foreign influence operations.
“That’s not related to the counterintelligence of foreign actors,&#8221; said the discussion moderator David Priess, a former CIA analyst and manager who signed the Hunter Biden laptop statement. When the other speakers, two current government counterintelligence officials, declined to answer, Priess added, &#8220;We’re good,” before moving on to another question.
Over the past two years, many of the laptop&#8217;s contents have been <a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/hunter-biden-laptop-data-examined/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/hunter-biden-laptop-data-examined/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">analyzed and shown to be authentic</a>. Hunter Biden&#8217;s lawyers recently began to send letters to state and federal officials <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hunter-biden-demands-criminal-investigation-into-several-figures-after-admitting-infamous-laptop-is-his" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanding investigations into individuals</a> involved in disseminating the contents of the laptop, including to the media. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, insisted the letters <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/hunter-bidens-lawyer-says-letters-dont-mean-laptop-is-his/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">do not &#8220;confirm&#8221;</a> the laptop was his client&#8217;s device.
Beyond the inquiries of Congress, Hunter Biden is under investigation by federal prosecutors, including over his foreign business dealings and tax affairs. Hunter Biden, who <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/hunter-biden-under-federal-investigation/2020/12/09/3b7361be-3a64-11eb-9276-ae0ca72729be_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed the existence</a> of that years-long inquiry only after the 2020 election, has said he expects to be <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/big-footing-house-investigation-into-hunter-biden-could-hit-firewall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cleared of wrongdoing</a>.

Jim Jordan at CPAC

Hunter Biden Probe Revs Up With ‘Final’ Notice, Warning Shot Over Security Clearances

Hunter Biden Probe Revs Up With 'Final' Notice, Warning Shot Over Security Clearances

2020 Election

Hunter Biden

Politics

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jordan-rips-dems-skipping-arizona-border-crisis-hearing-blasts-reckless-biden-policies" target="_blank" rel="noopener">slammed</a> Democrats who would not show up for an in-person hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee in Yuma, Arizona, on Thursday regarding the southern border.
Last week, House Democrats openly dismissed the hearing as a stunt and declared they would boycott the event. House Democrats <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-dems-fume-pledge-boycott-house-judiciary-border-crisis-hearing-arizona" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> “there was no consultation with Judiciary Democrats, many of whom have already committed to attending other bipartisan congressional delegation trips.”
“Instead of focusing on real solutions to a complicated problem, Judiciary Republicans will once again not hear from any federal government witnesses at their hearing, further cementing this hearing as a brazen act of political grandstanding,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) snapped. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, (D-WA), echoed, “As a result, Democrats, who have been to the border regularly the last few years, will not attend next week’s performative hearing.”
“It’s a shame that not one Democrat member of Congress would join us on this trip, despite having weeks of advance notice,” Jordan said. “It&#8217;s disappointing, but it&#8217;s not surprising.”
&#8220;I would argue it&#8217;s not a stunt,” he added. “My guess is our witnesses wouldn&#8217;t call it a stunt. What we&#8217;ve learned today from them, what we&#8217;ve seen last night on the border.”
Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) called the Democrats’ decision to rebuff the invitation a “message of disrespect” to Americans.
Dr. Robert Trenschel of the Yuma Regional Medical Center, which has reportedly given over $26 million in uncompensated care to migrants in one year, commented, “It is an unsustainable model to have a hospital like ours bear the entire burden of paying for migrant health care. No business or service can survive ongoing large-scale expense without any offsetting revenue.”
Yuma County Sheriff Leon Wilmot said Border Patrol captures of illegal immigrants have skyrocketed from 40 a day to over 1,000 a day in the last two years. “Our southern border, against all public comfort statements out of Washington, D.C., is in the worst shape I have ever seen in my career,” he <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/biden-slammed-border-yuma" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified</a>. “When one looks at Public Safety, National Security, and Humanitarian, our southern border can only be described as the largest crime scene in the country.”
“If this administration refuses to enforce existing laws, why would anyone trust it to enforce future laws?” Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) said. “But this won&#8217;t stop us from trying. That&#8217;s why we&#8217;re here today. But I&#8217;m afraid that this is going to get worse until the American people demand that these policies be reversed. &#8230; History is screaming this warning at us — countries that cannot or will not enforce their borders simply aren&#8217;t around very long.”

‘It’s Not Surprising’: Jordan Slams Dems For Not Attending Border Crisis Meeting

Jordan Slams Dems For Not Attending Border Crisis Meeting

Arizona

House Democrats

Southern Border

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced Wednesday that he subpoenaed the heads of five Big Tech companies.
The subpoenas seek documents and communications &#8220;relating to the federal government’s reported collusion with Big Tech to suppress free speech,&#8221; according to a press release from Jordan&#8217;s office.
The chief executive officers of Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft all received subpoenas.
&#8220;The House Judiciary Committee has repeatedly attempted to engage with the five companies since last December. Unfortunately, the companies have not adequately complied with our requests,&#8221; the press release said.
Twitter did not appear on the subpoena list. In fact, Jordan&#8217;s letters <a href="https://judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2023-02-15-jdj-to-jassy-amazon.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tout how Twitter</a> &#8220;set a benchmark for how transparent Big Tech companies can be about interactions with government over censorship.&#8221;
The Twitter Files, which have revealed to the public internal communications at Twitter, &#8220;have exposed how Big Tech and the federal government have worked hand in hand in ways that undermine First Amendment principles,&#8221; Jordan writes. &#8220;Numerous internal documents from Twitter reflect the weaponization of the federal government’s power to censor speech online.&#8221;
Jordan, who also heads the new House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, set a deadline for March 23.
&#8220;Step one towards accountability,&#8221; he said of the subpoenas.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We just subpoenaed Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple regarding Big Tech’s reported collusion with the federal government. 
Step one towards accountability.
&mdash; Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1625932638505533471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 15, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Daily Wire reached out to Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft seeking comment on the subpoenas.
“We have started producing documents, are engaged with the Committee, and committed to working in good faith,&#8221; said a Microsoft spokesperson.
Sundar Pichai is the CEO of Alphabet and its subsidiary Google. Andy Jassy is the CEO of Amazon. Mark Zuckerberg is CEO of Meta and co-founder of its social media website Facebook. Tim Cook is CEO of Apple. Satya Nadella is chairman and CEO of Microsoft.
The Daily Wire also reached out to Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, for comment.
This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.

Jim Jordan Subpoenas Big Tech Executives In Collusion Investigation

Big Tech

A top Democrat urged the House&#8217;s new panel dedicated to investigating the &#8220;weaponization&#8221; of the federal government to turn its focus on special counsel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/john-durham" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Durham</a>&#8216;s investigation into potential misconduct in the Trump-Russia probe.
In making his plea to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Thursday, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) seized on a recent report by The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/us/politics/durham-trump-russia-barr.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detailing alleged</a> problems in Durham&#8217;s endeavor, which began in 2019 at the behest of then-Attorney General William Barr.
&#8220;After four years and millions of dollars spent, the Durham investigation closed as a total flop without unearthing anything like the deep-state conspiracy that Republicans have been denouncing around here for years,&#8221; Raskin said.
Durham&#8217;s team &#8220;couldn’t find anything of substance to it,&#8221; Raskin added. &#8220;Yet Barr and Durham kept pressing in clearly abusive ways. I hope your subcommittee will investigate.&#8221;
Raskin spoke as a witness during the first hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, arguing the panel should let go of &#8220;conspiracy theories&#8221; and warning there is a &#8220;weaponized MAGA campaign&#8221; focused on &#8220;restoring&#8221; former President Donald Trump to the White House. Despite Raskin&#8217;s assertion that Durham&#8217;s inquiry is &#8220;closed,&#8221; there is no sign publicly that the prosecutor has completed his probe or given a final report to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Raskin goes hard on the failed Durham investigation as a clear example of real weaponization of the government <a href="https://t.co/HRVi1WYlfs">pic.twitter.com/HRVi1WYlfs</a>
&mdash; Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) <a href="https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1623751031883538434?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/us/politics/durham-trump-russia-barr.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The New York Times article</a> published last month claimed a monthslong review found &#8220;flaws&#8221; in Durham&#8217;s inquiry as well as &#8220;internal dissent and ethical disputes&#8221; that led to resignations by some dissatisfied prosecutors on the team.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/barr-slams-new-york-times-reporting-on-durham-probe" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barr condemned the report</a>, saying the New York Times&#8217; reporters &#8220;ignored some fundamental facts as to why some of the information that Durham was seeking was very important information.&#8221; He also said the article missed &#8220;obvious reasons&#8221; for Durham&#8217;s investigation, according to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2023-02-01/bill-barr-says-he-didnt-overstep-in-his-involvement-in-the-durham-probe-of-mueller-investigation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Times</a>.
Still, the report by The New York Times gave fuel to Durham&#8217;s detractors in Congress. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-IL) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-democrats-threaten-hard-look-at-durham-inquiry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">threatened an investigation</a> and House Democrats pressed the Justice Department inspector general to <a href="https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/Lieu%20and%20Goldman%20letter%20requesting%20inspector%20general%20investigation%20into%20Barr%20and%20Durham/d1a1af56f980a928/full.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">start a review</a> to determine whether Barr or Durham “violated any laws, DOJ rules or practices, or canons of legal ethics.”
One particularly explosive part of the article claimed Durham expanded his inquiry in the fall of 2019 to include a criminal investigation into &#8220;suspicious financial dealings&#8221; tied to Trump in response to a tip from Italian officials. However, the report asserted the details were largely unclear and said this line of inquiry did not result in Durham bringing charges.
In response, Barr insisted the tip &#8220;was not directly about Trump&#8221; and argued it was appropriate to rope it into Durham&#8217;s investigation because “it did have a relationship to the Russiagate stuff. It was not completely separate from it. And it turned out to be a complete non-issue.&#8221;
Seemingly unaware of Barr&#8217;s comments, Raskin said the inquiry into the Italian tip &#8220;mysteriously disappeared without a trace.&#8221; Ultimately, he argued House Republicans want to &#8220;pick up the baton from the defeated and demoralized Durham team and keep the wild goose chase going today.&#8221;

Jamie Raskin

Raskin Calls For ‘Weaponization’ Inquiry Into Durham Probe

John Durham

Another technology company, not the FBI, likely spread &#8220;rumors&#8221; of a hack-and-lead operation <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/intel-veteran-knew-hunter-biden-laptop-had-to-be-real-before-signing-letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">involving Hunter Biden</a> during meetings with technology companies, a former top censor for Twitter told Congress on Wednesday.
Twitter&#8217;s ex-head of Trust &amp; Safety <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/former-twitter-exec-admits-using-disappearing-message-apps-with-government-officials" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yoel Roth acknowledged</a> only there being a mysterious &#8220;coincidence&#8221; that Hunter Biden&#8217;s name was repeatedly mentioned as the government warned social media giants of foreign interference campaigns in the run-up to the last presidential election.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepScottPerry?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepScottPerry</a> : &quot;Do you find it highly coincidental that it actually happened and it was Hunter Biden at all?&quot;
Roth: &quot;My statement does not suggest the FBI told me it would involve Hunter Biden&#8230; I think there is a coincidence there and I really can&#39;t speak as to how&quot; <a href="https://t.co/YAKVINV4NH">pic.twitter.com/YAKVINV4NH</a>
&mdash; Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1623466330845515778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Across multiple lines of inquiry during a House Oversight Committee hearing, GOP members asked Roth about his <a href="https://eqs.fec.gov/eqsdocsMUR/7827_08.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sworn declaration</a> to the Federal Election Commission back in December 2020 in which he talked about government agencies holding &#8220;regular&#8221; meetings with members of the technology industry.
While Roth said federal law enforcement agencies communicated that they expected &#8220;hack-and-leak operations&#8221; by state actors likely in October 2020, Roth separately noted that he learned in these meetings &#8220;that there were rumors that a hack-and-leak operation would involve Hunter Biden.&#8221;
During his testimony, Roth said he wanted to clarify that his declaration &#8220;does not suggest&#8221; the FBI told him such an operation would involve Hunter Biden, though he acknowledged that is a &#8220;popular reading&#8221; of the statement.
&#8220;My recollection is it was mentioned by another technology company in one of our joint meetings, but I don&#8217;t recall specifically whom,&#8221; Roth said in an exchange with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). However, Roth failed to come up with a name or company, asserting it &#8220;was a long time ago.&#8221;
Roth <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/hearing/protecting-speech-from-government-interference-and-social-media-bias-part-1-twitters-role-in-suppressing-the-biden-laptop-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">testified alongside</a> FBI general counsel-turned-<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/top-fbi-lawyer-turned-twitter-counsel-supported-decision-to-suppress-hunter-biden-laptop-story-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter lawyer Jim Baker</a> and former Twitter Chief Legal Officer Vijaya Gadde. All three were pushed out of Twitter following Elon Musk&#8217;s takeover of the company, which was followed by a series of &#8220;Twitter Files&#8221; disclosures offering an unprecedented look into the social media company&#8217;s internal deliberations about censorship.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/RepAOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RepAOC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AOC</a>: &quot;It&#39;s an abuse of public resources&#8230;We could be talking about health care&#8230;We could be talking abortion rights, civil rights, voting rights, but instead we&#39;re talking about Hunter Biden&#39;s half fake laptop story. I mean this is an embarrassment.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/IrgYvhb5n1">pic.twitter.com/IrgYvhb5n1</a>
&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1623362363809210368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Democratic members cast the hearing as a waste of time and resources, but Republicans argued they were uncovering how the government, namely the FBI, influenced social media companies in a way that potentially tilted the outcome of an election. Twitter &#8220;got played&#8221; by the FBI, Jordan said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Twitter got played by the FBI. <a href="https://t.co/78O2fbzWK9">pic.twitter.com/78O2fbzWK9</a>
&mdash; Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jim_Jordan/status/1623358976581681158?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
During his testimony, Roth said he concluded Twitter &#8220;made a mistake&#8221; in temporarily blocking the New York Post&#8217;s <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/10/14/email-reveals-how-hunter-biden-introduced-ukrainian-biz-man-to-dad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;smoking-gun email&#8221; report</a> from October 2020, which focused on communications about Hunter Biden introducing a Ukrainian businessman to his father, then-Vice President Joe Biden. Roth revealed he learned of Twitter&#8217;s decision from his direct supervisor, vice president of trust and safety Del Harvey. &#8220;Ultimately I didn&#8217;t disagree with it enough to object to it,&#8221; he said.
Reporting about Hunter Biden raised questions about whether people from foreign countries had influence over the elder Biden as he ran for the White House. Further stoking concerns, despite Joe Biden claiming he had no knowledge of his son&#8217;s business dealings, was Hunter Biden revealing he was under federal investigation shortly after the elder Biden&#8217;s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Much of the reporting about Hunter Biden derives from materials found in a laptop abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop. The FBI seized that laptop in 2019, and with that in mind, Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) questioned Roth about <a href="https://oversight.house.gov/release/comer-big-tech-wields-unchecked-power-to-suppress-the-constitutional-speech/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an Aspen Institute exercise</a> in September 2020 on a potential “hack and dump” operation relating to Hunter Biden, <a href="https://twitter.com/ShellenbergerMD/status/1604896328453980160" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as revealed in a &#8220;Twitter Files&#8221; disclosure</a>.
Though Roth confirmed his participation in the exercise, he said he could not recall whether anyone from the intelligence community was present. Roth similarly hinted at the limits of his memory, saying Twitter did not give him access to his laptop, when asked what was in <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/02/08/house-panel-seeks-out-collusion-between-fbi-twitter-execs-who-censored-hunter-biden-laptop-story/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 documents sent to him by FBI agent Elvis Chan via the Teleporter platform</a> on the night before the New York Post story broke. However, Roth said the FBI asserted the documents did not relate to Hunter Biden and that matched his recollection.
Toward the end of the hearing, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) asked Roth if he would at least acknowledge that all the chatter about Hunter Biden before the New York Post broke the story seems suspicious.
&#8220;I think there is a coincidence there and I really can&#8217;t speak as to how that came about,&#8221; Roth replied.

Yoel Roth

Twitter’s Roth Draft: The Hunter Biden ‘Coincidence’

Twitter's Roth Draft: The Hunter Biden 'Coincidence'

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) is turning up the heat on 51 U.S. intelligence veterans who signed a letter suggesting the Hunter Biden laptop story could be part of a Russian disinformation operation.
Jordan and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Michael Turner (R-OH) signed letters sent Monday to 12 of these ex-intelligence officials, including former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
In the correspondence obtained by The Daily Wire, the lawmakers said a request for relevant documents and testimony from the House Judiciary Committee in April 2022, when Jordan was ranking member of the panel, did not receive full compliance. &#8220;As we begin the 118th Congress, we write again to reiterate our outstanding request and ask that you immediately comply in full,&#8221; the lawmakers wrote, alluding to the fact that Republicans are now in control of the House.
The other recipients of letters on Monday were Rick Ledgett, John McLaughlin, Michael Morell, Nicholas Rasmussen, Russell Travers, Michael Vickers, Nick Shapiro, Jeremy Bash, Thomas Fingar, and Michael Hayden. Many of them held high-level positions in the CIA while others were high-ranking officials in other parts of the U.S. intelligence community.
The letters make no mention of subpoenas, but Jordan has shown a willingness to use the tool. Last week, Jordan <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/politics/doj-response-special-counsel-documents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued his first round of subpoenas</a> as chairman to top Biden administration officials seeking documents related to local school board meetings.
The <a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000175-4393-d7aa-af77-579f9b330000" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000175-4393-d7aa-af77-579f9b330000" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">letter from the 51 former intelligence officials</a> came out in the days leading up to the 2020 presidential election, warning that reporting about the laptop&#8217;s alleged contents &#8220;has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.&#8221; Although the signees stressed they did not know if emails being reported at the time were genuine and they insisted they had no evidence of Russian involvement, the letter was nevertheless used to dismiss the laptop and its provenance.
POLITICO, which first reported the letter, went further than what the letter said by <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/19/hunter-biden-story-russian-disinfo-430276" target="_blank" rel="noopener">publishing a headline</a> that said the former intelligence officials were claiming the story was &#8220;Russian disinfo.&#8221; Then-candidate Joe Biden, Hunter&#8217;s father, used the letter to <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house-gop-demand-records-from-ex-intel-officials-about-hunter-biden-laptop-letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cast doubt on the laptop story</a> during one of his debates with then-President Donald Trump.
The laptop, which allegedly was abandoned at a Delaware computer repair shop before the FBI obtained it, contains details about Hunter Biden&#8217;s personal life and financial affairs. The president&#8217;s son is now under federal investigation, including over his foreign business dealings and tax affairs, though the existence of that years-long inquiry was not <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/hunter-biden-under-federal-investigation/2020/12/09/3b7361be-3a64-11eb-9276-ae0ca72729be_story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed to the public</a> until after the 2020 election. Hunter Biden has said he expects to be <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/big-footing-house-investigation-into-hunter-biden-could-hit-firewall" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cleared of wrongdoing</a>.
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee initially demanded in April 2022 materials from the 51 intelligence veterans that identify anyone they contacted about drafting and promoting the letter.
Since the laptop story emerged more than two years ago, many of its contents have been <a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/hunter-biden-laptop-data-examined/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/30/hunter-biden-laptop-data-examined/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">analyzed and shown to be authentic</a>.
Douglas Wise, a former Defense Intelligence Agency deputy director, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/intel-veteran-knew-hunter-biden-laptop-had-to-be-real-before-signing-letter" target="_blank" rel="noopener">divulged last month</a> that he and the other signees surmised the contents of the laptop were genuine at the time the letter came out. &#8220;All of us figured that a significant portion of that content had to be real to make any Russian disinformation credible,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a_TWT&amp;dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fworld%2Fhunter-biden-laptop-files-had-to-be-real-intelligence-chief%2Fnews-story%2F2173db346096e625f538064772424775&amp;memtype=anonymous&amp;mode=premium&amp;v21=dynamic-groupb-control-noscore&amp;V21spcbehaviour=append" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Australian</a>.
Last week, Hunter Biden&#8217;s lawyers sent letters to state and federal officials <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hunter-biden-demands-criminal-investigation-into-several-figures-after-admitting-infamous-laptop-is-his" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanding investigations into individuals</a> involved in sharing the contents of the laptop, which made their way to the media. His attorney, Abbe Lowell, later insisted the letters <a href="https://www.newsnationnow.com/politics/hunter-bidens-lawyer-says-letters-dont-mean-laptop-is-his/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">do not &#8220;confirm&#8221;</a> the laptop was his client&#8217;s device.

Jim Jordan Puts A Dozen Intel Veterans On Notice Over Hunter Biden Laptop Letter

laptop computer

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fbi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FBI</a> Director <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christopher-wray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christopher Wray</a> was subpoenaed on Friday by the House Judiciary Committee for information relating to the accusation that the bureau targeted parents at school board meetings in 2021, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-judiciary-subpoenas-fbi-director-wray-testify-targeting-parents-school-board-meetings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) subpoenaed the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Education</a> and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona as well on Friday, compelling the secretary to appear alongside Wray on March 1 on the school board issue, according to <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2023/02/03/house-judiciary-chairman-jim-jordan-officially-subpoenas-department-education-miguel-cardona-school-boards-issue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Caller</a>. Jordan also sent a similar letter to the Department of Justice and Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/02/03/exclusive-judiciary-committee-subpoenas-doj-for-documents-on-school-boards-issue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Breitbart</a>.
The subpoenas compel the officials to testify in front of the committee on March 1 at 9 a.m. on the “misuse of federal criminal and counterterrorism resources” related to school board meetings. The subpoenas also seek documents and communications related to Garland’s October 4, 2021, memo directing the FBI to partner with local law enforcement to investigate threats against school boards and “prosecute them when appropriate,” according to Fox News.
Over the summer of 2021, parents came out en masse to pressure school boards on a slate of issues, including school mask mandates and the inclusion of gender studies and Critical Race Theory in classroom materials.
In late September, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) sent a letter to the Department of Justice asking for federal agents to investigate threats made against school board members.
“Coupled with attacks against school board members and educators for approving policies for masks to protect the health and safety of students and school employees, many public school officials are also facing physical threats because of propaganda purporting the false inclusion of critical race theory within classroom instruction and curricula,” the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21098209-nsba-letter-to-president-biden-concerning-threats-to-public-schools-and-school-board-members-929211" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> said.
“NSBA respectfully asks that a joint collaboration among federal law enforcement agencies, state and local law enforcement, and with public school officials be undertaken to focus on these threats. NSBA specifically solicits the expertise and resources of the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, and its National Threat Assessment Center regarding the level of risk to public schoolchildren, educators, board members, and facilities/campuses,” the letter continues.
About a week after NSBA sent the letter, Garland published a memo <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-addresses-violent-threats-against-school-officials-and-teachers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directing</a> the FBI to begin looking into the incidents at school board meetings. The action drove concern among Republicans that the Biden administration was using federal law enforcement to crack down on criticism of strict COVID policies in schools, as well as parental backlash against leftist theories involving gender and systemic racism.

House Judiciary Committee Subpoenas Top Biden Officials Over Targeting Parents Controversy

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The Justice Department rejected the House Judiciary Committee&#8217;s demand for records about the investigation into President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a>&#8216;s handling of classified materials.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte issued the agency&#8217;s response to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-judiciary-committee-launches-investigation-into-biden-documents-scandal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a January 13 letter sent</a> by Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), who sought documents and communications underlying the inquiry, including the appointment of a special counsel the lawmakers said had raised &#8220;fundamental oversight questions&#8221; that are &#8220;routinely&#8221; examined by their panel.
Citing &#8220;longstanding policy,&#8221; Uriarte said the Justice Department is averse to sharing &#8220;non-public information&#8221; central to an ongoing investigation because doing so &#8220;could violate statutory requirements or court orders, reveal roadmaps for our investigations, and interfere with the Department’s ability to gather facts, interview witnesses and bring criminal prosecutions where warranted.&#8221;
Disclosures from active investigations &#8220;risk jeopardizing those investigations and creating the appearance that Congress may be exerting improper political pressure or attempting to influence Department decisions in certain cases,&#8221; Uriarte added. &#8220;Judgments about whether and how to pursue a matter are, and must remain, the exclusive responsibility of the Department.&#8221;
All that really was explained in detail in the new letter was an already-established timeline of events on steps taken after classified materials were first found in November at Biden&#8217;s think tank office in Washington, D.C., and later his Wilmington, Delaware, residence. That includes an initial review by U.S. Attorney John Lausch, and, at his recommendation, Attorney General <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/merrick-garland-appoints-special-counsel-to-investigate-biden-classified-document-scandal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Merrick Garland appointing</a> former U.S. Attorney Robert Hur as special counsel to examine whether &#8220;any person or entity violated the law in connection with this matter.&#8221;
The letter, published in full Monday by <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/doj-rejects-jordan-requests-biden-classified-docs-special-counsel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Washington Examiner</a>, refrained from directly addressing particular records about the run-up to the special counsel investigation or various records from the Justice Department, FBI, or the White House also sought by Jordan and Johnson. Uriarte said the Justice Department would <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/28/600.7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">abide by regulations</a> he cited as reasons for the agency&#8217;s limited ability to report to Congress, but he encouraged the GOP lawmakers to contact his office for further assistance.
&#8220;Our Members are rightly concerned about the Justice Department&#8217;s double standard here. After all, some of the Biden documents were found at a think tank that has received funds from communist China,&#8221; Jordan spokesman Russell Dye said in a statement. &#8220;It&#8217;s concerning, to say the least, that the Department is more interested in playing politics than cooperating.&#8221;
It remains to be seen whether Republicans in control of the House will escalate the showdown as they gear up for multiple investigations into the Biden administration. Jordan <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/politics/doj-response-special-counsel-documents" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told CNN last week</a> lawmakers are &#8220;definitely looking at asking for documents via subpoena.&#8221; Among the concerns raised by Jordan and others are the prospect of unauthorized possession of classified materials dating back to Biden&#8217;s time as a senator and vice president.
Frustrations have also been mounting on the Senate side even as Biden&#8217;s team insists they are cooperating with the National Archives and Justice Department. Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/growing-standoff-emerges-between-senate-intel-and-biden-admin-over-classified-docs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">left a classified briefing last week in an uproar</a>, with leaders of the panel arguing they were being prevented from performing their congressional oversight duties because the U.S intelligence community refused to show records at the center of the Biden documents scandal as well as records at the heart of a separate special counsel inquiry into former President Donald Trump&#8217;s handling of documents.
Uriarte sent a response to Senate Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA) and Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL) over the weekend. In that letter, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-biden-classified-documents-special-counsels-senate-intelligence-committee/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported by CBS News</a>, Uriarte assured the senators the Justice Department was &#8220;working with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to support the provision of information that will satisfy the Committee&#8217;s responsibilities without harming the ongoing Special Counsel investigations.&#8221;

Justice Department Responds To Jim Jordan’s Demands In Biden Docs Probe

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