“We have heard through intermediaries that current and former Justice Department whistleblowers needed a means to securely and confidentially communicate with the Committee,” Conyers said. “This page is designed to allow those whistleblowers to get the truth about the Department to the American people.”

However, a top Republican on the panel, blasted the new website, saying it could violate a House rule that grants all members equal access to committee information.

“Political influence neither began nor will it end with the Bush Administration,” said Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah), an outspoken critic of the Democratic probe of the Department of Justice. “The creation of a secret website to collect gossip and rumors only accessible by the majority party, and only about the Bush Administration, is blatant partisanship. If tens of thousands of pages of documents, dozens of interviews, and witness testimony under oath has not uncovered corruption or interference in ongoing investigations, then it is time for the committee to move on.” 

The committee is assuring DoJ employees that it will protect their confidentiality.

“The names, titles and identities of the senders will be maintained in strictest confidence, but once the identities are confirmed, the substantive information provided will be utilized for official Committee business, to the extent that it can be verified and confirmed,” Conyers said in an introduction on the website.

“The Committee is looking for concrete and specific actions taken or statements made by management-level officials of the Department that have led career employees to be concerned that law enforcement actions will not be handled [in] a completely non-partisan, impartial manner but will be unduly influenced by partisan political or other inappropriate considerations,” he added.