Two prominent GOP Senators, Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson, have accused their Democratic colleagues of “selectively leaking” information from their joint investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine while his father was vice president.
Yahoo News reported last week that the Treasury Department had complied with Republicans who were asking for financial records on Biden, citing “a leading Democrat on one of the committees conducting the investigation.” The report quoted the Democrat as saying the evidence turned over to the Senate committees was “of questionable origin.”
“We have shared our ongoing investigation efforts with our Democrat ranking members as a courtesy and with the understanding that sensitive information would be treated appropriately and remain confidential,” Johnson and Grassley said in a statement. “It is disappointing that one or more of our colleagues would actively seek to undermine our legitimate oversight by selectively leaking information to the press.”
The Republican senators called the leaks “highly inappropriate” and emphasized that any responses from the Treasury Department to the senators’ queries would be “highly sensitive.”
Democrats contrasted the Trump administration’s responsiveness to the Senate probe with its complete stonewalling of last year’s House impeachment investigation, alleging hypocrisy.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who sits on the Finance Committee, told Yahoo News that the swift response from Treasury is a “blatant double standard” considering how the Trump administration responded — or rather, did not respond — to Democrats’ effort to obtain documents and witness testimony in his impeachment trial.
“The administration told House Democrats to go pound sand when their oversight authority was mandatory while voluntarily cooperating with the Senate Republicans’ sideshow at lightning speed,” a spokesman from Wyden told the website.
Grassley and Johnson said there was no double standard, as there was no implication of executive privilege in the documents on “suspicious financial transactions” that the Senate sought on Hunter Biden. Executive privilege is a procedural shield that protects the president from being forced to turn over information about his deliberations with advisors, particularly on foreign policy.
“In fact, Democrats have recently received productions from Treasury pursuant to their oversight requests,” the Republicans said. “If the administration were to claim privilege over requested material, as the Obama administration did in the ‘Operation Fast and Furious’ investigation, members of Congress can use other tools at their disposal – including the courts – to compel cooperation.”
“No one can serve two masters” Should not this truism be applied to elected officials? Elected to serve the Unites States of America and its Constitution, and then turn betray their oath of office by serving the interests self and others? Should not the damaged party (USA) have recourse against those violating their oath of office?
First off, the House impeachment proceedings was like a kangaroo court and very unethical.
Senator Wyden is not being honest when he knows the President has every right to withhold private conversations with him as privileged information or have anyone on his staff not testify to same.
In my opinion, there was perjury involved by two leaders of the proceedings and they should be held accountable for it through the court.
It’s official. Grassley and Johnson are not street fighters. Just proper whimps who will never match the other side. It’s time to wake up and use your upper hand. The other side does every time they can!
And here we go again. The DEMS are such liars and ignorant people in the House, that it’s hard to understand what is fact and fiction. There are 2 distinct situations, but the DEMS want you, America, to believe that they were short changed during the House diliberations on the hoax impeachment. Let me shed a tear for you.
You are so ruthless, you’ve already begun ANOTHER impeachment.
I wish there were a way for the U.S. citizens to put a half to you arseholes in the House. Enough is enough. Get another life, like doing YOUR JOB for the American people. Get over the fact that Trump won the election and your self appointed Queen KIillary lost.
I hope the DOJ gets you for treason and sedition, working against America in your deep state.
Obnoxious people. I only wish I could meet some of you to your face and tell you exactly what I think of each of you. You seem to forget all the CHIT that Obama put us through breadking, at my last count, 76 violations of the law including the Constitution. Didn’t hear a peep out of you, bstgrds.
This leaking is a way of life with the Democrat’s so i’m not surprised that this is going on.Until there is some internal control’s that require prosecution of individual’s that may partake in this activity it will continue
The Democratic Party DOES NOT leak. It is more like Niagara Falls.
Let the Bidens alone ,they are Democrats!
Victoriously fighting for the destruction of our country and the demoralizing of our people
it seems that the Democrats have TANTRUMS and spout LIES when they DON’T get their way . . . looks like a LOT of “unwokeness” going on in the Democrat CLOWN car. NOW you know WHY the Democrats will lose BIG TIME (YAY!) come the 2020 elections. Team Trump and his allies 2020.