FBI pushes back at House Judiciary chairman over transcripts
The FBI sharply pushed back against the House Judiciary Committee chairman for a Christmas Eve deadline to finish reviewing more than 3,400 pages of closed-door interview transcripts that Chairman Bob Goodlatte wants to release. In the letter sent to Goodlate, R-Va., late Friday, FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich says that releasing the transcripts without proper redactions "will result in the disclosure of law enforcement sensitive information.” “Moreover, given the nature of the topics covered with the witnesses, including FISA warrants and counter intelligence investigations, the transcripts, individually or in combination, may contain classified information,” wrote Bowdich.
The letter is the latest in the back-and-forth between House Republicans and the FBI — the former who have long said the bureau is ripe with bias. Goodlatte and congressional staff had told the FBI on Dec. 19 that they wanted the 3,400 pages reviewed by noon Dec. 24, which Bowditch specifically pointed out is both Christmas Eve and in “during the anticipated government shutdown.” “Your committee has not afforded the FBI the time necessary to undertake a thorough review of this large volume of documents for classified, sensitive, and personally identifiable information,” Bowdich wrote in his letter to Goodlatte.
The House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight Committee have been investigating the FBI and Justice Department, and the two agencies’ actions ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The GOP-led committees have spent most of the past 14 months interviewing a series of witnesses, including former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. The joint investigation wound down this week after the two panels held a final, seven-hour interview with Lynch on Wednesday. Neither Goodlatte or Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy have formally said if they will release any reports following their inquiry, but they have indicated they at least want to release the transcripts of the closed-door depositions.
Democrats, when they take control of the House in January, have indicated the committees’ investigation will end at the time. But the FBI indicated the review of the transcripts may stretch into 2019. "It is our shared responsibility — predicated on legal requirements — to protect sensitive information of this nature from public disclosure," Bowdich wrote. "Therefore, we respectfully request that the Committees maintain the confidentiality of the un-redacted interview transcripts pending a complete review by the FBI, the Department, and the Special Counsel's Office, as appropriate," Bowdich continued, referring to special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into Russian election interference.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/fbi-clashes-with-house-judiciary-chairman-bob-goodlatte-over-transcripts-deadline