Goodlatte, Gowdy Press Rosenstein, Wray on Withholding Documents from Congress - United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

Washington, DC – Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) sent a letter to Department of Justice (DOJ) Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray requesting documents and communications referring or relating to newly revealed text messages and DOJ and FBI communications about withholding the text messages from the Committees. In the letter, Chairman Goodlatte and Chairman Gowdy called on Rosenstein and Wray to testify before the Committees during a joint hearing the week of June 25, 2018.

This request comes after Chairman Goodlatte and Chairman Gowdy reviewed Inspector General Michael Horowitz’s report titled “A Review of Various Actions by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice in Advance of the 2016 Election.” As part of the review, the OIG collected text messages between FBI employees Page and Strzok.

Additionally, the House Judiciary Committee intends to issue a subpoena to Peter Strzok to compel his testimony before the Committees.

Excerpts from the letter:

“In reviewing this report it is clear the FBI and DOJ withheld relevant text communications between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok. The Deputy Attorney General learned of these texts days before the IG report was made public while others at the DOJ or FBI learned of these texts in May of 2018. The failure to disclose and produce these messages to Congress continues a pattern of non-cooperation and interference with the pendency of our joint investigation.”

“In order to help the Committees understand why these communications were withheld from Congress, please provide all documents and communications referring or relating to the text messages in question, including but not limited to any communications about providing those messages to, or withholding those messages from the Committees.”

Full text of the letter can be viewed here.

Background:

In October 2017, the Committees opened a joint investigation into the decisions made by the Department of Justice in 2016 and 2017.
On November 3, 2017, the Committees requested documents and communications referring or relating to decisions made at FBI and DOJ in 2016.
On February 1, 2018, the Committees specifically requested copies of all text messages between Lisa Page and Peter Strzok and requested DOJ provide additional texts as they become available on a rolling basis.