Biden-appointed judge eviscerates DOJ over non-compliance with House subpoenas

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes on Friday sharply criticized the Department of Justice for instructing its personnel not to comply with subpoenas from the House Judiciary Committee while pursuing charges against former Trump officials who defied congressional subpoenas.

Reyes, an appointee of President Joe Biden, oversaw a hearing in a legal dispute between the DOJ and Judiciary Committee over subpoenas the panel issued to Mark Daly and Jack Morgan, two attorneys with the DOJ, to testify in their ongoing impeachment inquiry, Politico reported.

The Judiciary Committee sued in March to compel testimony from the two attorneys in the DOJ Tax Division, though the DOJ instructed the pair not to comply.

Reyes, for her part, appeared to accuse the DOJ of hypocrisy, stating, "I think it's quite rich you guys pursue criminal investigations and put people in jail for not showing up" but then order personnel to do the same thing.

She further highlighted the contrast between the DOJ's behavior in this matter and the prosecution and incarceration of former Trump advisor Peter Navarro, reported to prison last month to begin serving his four-month sentence for contempt of Congress after he ignored a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 Committee.

"There's a person in jail right now because you all brought a criminal lawsuit against him because he did not appear for a House subpoena," she added.

She ordered the DOJ to attempt to negotiate a resolution with House Counsel Matthew Berry.

Reyes was appointed to serve as a District Court judge in February of last year.

Morgan and Daly were participants in the tax investigation into first son Hunter Biden that has faced allegations of political interference from IRS whistleblowers who worked on the case.

"To craft effective legislative reforms and to determine whether President Biden has committed an impeachable offense, it must have all the facts," the Judiciary suit stated. "And to uncover all the facts, the Committee requires testimony from both Mark Daly and Jack Morgan, two current or former Tax Division attorneys who have firsthand knowledge of the irregularities in DOJ’s investigation that appear to have benefited Hunter Biden."

"For example, as members of the team that recommended what charges to bring against Hunter Biden, Daly and Morgan initially agreed that DOJ should file charges for tax crimes related to 2014 and 2015. But months later, they gave a key presentation and argued just the opposite—that Hunter Biden should not be charged for tax crimes related to those years," it continued. "DOJ ultimately allowed the statute of limitations for those charges to lapse. Daly and Morgan are thus crucial to the Committee’s investigation."

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.