House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) fired off letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas Friday, signaling his intention to continue investigations into the Biden administration's handling of the border.
“This letter serves as a formal request to preserve all existing and future records and materials related to the Biden-Harris Administration’s enforcement of federal immigration law,” Jordan wrote in letters to each.
The Justice Department pushed back on any insinuation it does not plan to keep all records.
“This Justice Department follows the law, including our legal obligations regarding the preservation of records, and we will continue to do so,” a DOJ spokesperson told The Hill.
DHS did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The letters rehash two years of requests made at each agency, highlighting different investigative threads pursued by the panel, from how immigration court judges overseen by DOJ handle cases to details and data requested on numerous immigration policies carried out by the Department of Homeland Security.
The letters are just the latest sign from Jordan about what the committee will focus on once President-elect Trump re-enters the White House, continuing oversight of the Biden administration as it has since the GOP overtook the House under President Biden.
Just days after the election, Jordan also sent a letter to special counsel Jack Smith likewise asking him to retain all records related to his two investigations into Trump.
Jordan has launched numerous investigations into Biden administration officials as well as the other two prosecutors beyond Smith who launched investigations into Trump.
But the GOP track record is mixed. A lengthy investigation into Mayorkas that spurred an impeachment vote in the House was dismissed by the Senate as they declined to hold a trial on the topic.
And the House never advanced for a vote its own impeachment investigation into Biden, releasing a report ahead of the Democratic convention that relied on numerous debunked claims while failing to demonstrate he took improper actions as a government official.
Still, a border investigation gives Republicans an avenue for continuing to attack Democrats on the border – a prime campaign issue for Trump throughout the election.
Trump critics also fear that congressional investigations will be a route to carry out revenge on those who have crossed ways with Trump.
