House Democrats under the leadership of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, had made a conscious effort to change the way that committees had oversight over the legislative branch. However, now that the Republicans have control of the House, the Department of Justice and overall administration are once again trying to change the way things operate and have them return to the way they had once been.
Attorney General Merrick Garland’s Department of Justice clearly did not understand all of the changes that had occurred in the House, as recently the DOJ informed them they didn’t get the memo. Recently, the DOJ attempted a return to pre-Trump precedent when they informed House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, that they would not be able to provide the requested documents. This led to them falling back to a Trump-era precedent that was not as prevalent while the Democrats held control of the House.
As many have pointed out, the existence of the January 6 Committee created an entirely new standard, as the committee took advantage of every opportunity to find information relating to their probe, even if it meant denying the Justice Department.
This has led to the overall understanding that so far, the Biden administration has been the least transparent administration in history, often refusing to answer tough questions or supply information when requested. Many think that this has also led President Biden, his cabinet, senior staffers, and faceless bureaucrats to mistakenly think of themselves as untouchable. However, with the Republicans now in control of the House the dice has turned and more oversight into the administration is inevitable.
