DOJ to Make Weiss Available to House Panel 'Near Term'

The Department of Justice told the House Judiciary Committee that it would make special counsel David Weiss available to testify before it in the "near term," a timetable that seemingly conflicts with that of Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

Jordan said Sunday that Weiss, who's prosecuting Hunter Biden, "has committed" to appear before the committee on Oct. 18. The DOJ sent the letter to Jordan on Friday, CNBC reported. It's unclear if the DOJ is abiding Jordan's timeline.

Jordan originally sought an Oct. 11 interview with Weiss.

The DOJ said in its letter Friday that it's committed to making Weiss available "in the near term to address the subject of his authority" in the Biden investigation but without committing to a date.

"The volume and requested pace of the Committee's proposed schedule far exceeds the Department's resources, especially in light of the Committee's other pending requests and subpoenas to the Department on other topics," assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote to Jordan, according to CNBC.

"We remain committed to providing information voluntarily, without unnecessary escalation," Uriarte wrote.

Jordan said during a morning news show interview Sunday that "Weiss has committed to come in front of the committee on Oct. 18, so we can look forward to that."

It's not clear which committee Jordan meant — his Judiciary panel or Oversight, chaired by Rep. James Comer, R-Ky.

The DOJ letter also offered to produce U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves of Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada of Los Angeles, and Stuart Goldberg, an acting deputy assistant attorney general, to appear before the House.

At issue for Republicans is that a third IRS official testified earlier this month that Weiss, a Delaware U.S. attorney, was stymied by his peers in D.C. and California in bringing tax charges against Hunter Biden in their jurisdictions prior to Weiss being named special counsel.

Jordan and House Republicans want to get to the bottom of whether Weiss had "ultimate authority," as he and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland have repeatedly claimed, to bring charges against Biden in other jurisdictions other than Delaware. Biden was living in D.C. and California at times when he failed to pay taxes, the most egregious tax charges that since have lapsed under the statute of limitations.

Garland testified last week that prosecutors in other jurisdictions can choose not to cooperate with a fellow prosecutor, asserting that's not akin to blocking that prosecutor. Jordan wasn't having it, saying that's interfering by a different name.