The Justice Department is telling former Trump Administration officials they may testify to congressional probes into the Jan. 6th riot, citing 'extraordinary circumstances' that weigh against normal constraints on closely-held information.
The guidance comes in a letter by career DOJ official Bradley Weinsheimer, who has spent decades at the Department.
'The extraordinary events in this matter constitute exceptional circumstances warranting an accommodation to Congress,' according to a copy of the memo obtained by the New York Times.
The Justice Department has told former Trump Administration officials they can testify to probes of the Jan. 6 riot, due to 'exceptional circumstances' despite the need to protect nonpublic information
Weinsheimer, an official in the Deputy AG's office, wrote: 'Department lawyers, including those who have left the department, are obligated to protect nonpublic information they learned in the course of their work,' before pointed to the 'extraordinary events' of the riot.
The memo also notes that lawmakers are seeking information related to whether former President Donald Trump sought to use the DOJ to push his 'personal political interests' through his efforts to overturn the election.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr resigned from his post December 23, 2020, just weeks before Trump left office. He said publicly weeks before his departure that he had seen no evidence of widespread fraud in the election.
News of DOJ's posture on testimony emerged as Rep. Bennie Thompson convened the first hearing by a select committee on Jan. 6th, where he said rioters 'wanted to derail the peaceful transfer of power in this country.'
Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows emailed former Deputy AG Jeffrey Rosen with a translation of a bizarre plot to change election data in Italy and put it onto 'military satellites'
House Oversight Committee chair Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) is one of several chairs probing the riot
The DOJ letter emerged as Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) convened a select committee hearing into the Jan. 6 riot
It comes after the Trump White House spent years resisting congressional efforts to secure testimony from top officials.
Former White House counsel Don McGahn testified before the House Judiciary Committee in June, two years after Congress sought his appearance and issued a subpoena, prompting a prolonged court fight.
Should key witnesses be called to testify in congressional riot probes, Trump could sue seeking to prevent them from appearing.
The memo's reference to department lawyers indicates that current or former DOJ officials could become an area of focus for investigators. Emails already released by the House Oversight Committee chaired by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) have revealed former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows emailing former Deputy AG Jeffrey Rosen with a translation of a bizarre plot to change election data in Italy and put it onto 'military satellites.'
It was part of multiple efforts promoting claims of election fraud amid Trump's election overturn effort.
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