House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold (Jerry) Lewis NadlerDemocrats debate timing and wisdom of reparations vote Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones calls on Breyer to retire The Hill's Morning Report - Presented by Tax March - Biden to Putin: Tough sanctions, straight talk MORE (D-N.Y.) is demanding answers from Attorney General William Barr
Bill BarrAmy Coney Barrett receives million advance for book deal: report Garland rescinds Trump-era memo curtailing consent decrees Boehner: Trump 'stepped all over their loyalty' by lying to followers MORE about a Justice Department "intake process" that will review information on Ukraine from President Trump
Donald TrumpHouse votes to condemn Chinese government over Hong Kong Former Vice President Walter Mondale dies at age 93 White House readies for Chauvin verdict MORE's attorney Rudy Giuliani
Rudy GiulianiMyPillow files countersuit against Dominion Voting Systems Guilfoyle named as national chair of Greitens' Senate campaign in Missouri Greitens Senate bid creates headache for GOP MORE.
In a letter sent to the attorney general, Nadler called on Barr to provide a "complete explanation" regarding his decision to sidestep standard practice and set up another channel for information coming out of Ukraine. He asked the attorney general to answer 11 questions related to the arrangement by Feb. 25.
NEW: @RepJerryNadler sent a letter to AG Barr to demand answers after @LindseyGrahamSC and Barr admit that Rudy Giuliani is sending information concerning Ukraine to the Department of Justice through a special intake process. pic.twitter.com/Yg6rPZ5zOt
— House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) February 10, 2020
Lindsey Olin Graham'Real Housewives of the GOP' — Wannabe reality show narcissists commandeer the party Graham: 'I could not disagree more' with Trump support of troop withdrawal Wall Street spent .9B on campaigns, lobbying in 2020 election: study MORE (R-S.C.) first revealed on Sunday that Barr had "created a process" to receive and verify information on Ukraine coming from Giuliani. Barr confirmed Graham's comments a day later, saying during a press conference that the Justice Department has an “open door” to any individual with information on Ukraine. “There are a lot of agendas in the Ukraine, a lot of crosscurrents, and we can’t take anything we receive from the Ukraine at face value,” Barr said, adding that the department established "an intake process in the field so that any information coming in about Ukraine could be carefully scrutinized."
Barr maintained that the process would assess the provenance and credibility of all information it receives, including from Giuliani. Giuliani's efforts to push Ukrainian officials to launch an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden
Joe BidenObama, Clinton reflect on Mondale's legacy Biden, Harris commend Mondale in paving the way for female VP Mondale in last message to staff: 'Joe in the White House certainly helps' MORE and his son Hunter Biden over unfounded allegations of corruption became central to the impeachment proceedings.
Nadler said in the letter that the potential communications between Giuliani and the Justice Department raised serious questions of a conflict of interest. He noted that two of Giuliani's associates — Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman — face campaign finance violation charges and that Parnas has alleged that Barr “had to have known everything” about Giuliani's Ukraine pressure campaign.
The New York congressman also asked whether Barr has discussed the so-called intake process with President Trump.
"Whether or not you are in league with Giuliani and his associates, DOJ guidelines and regulations exits to protect you and the Department from even the appearance of a conflict of interest or any impropriety," Nadler said.
Revelations about Trump's and Giuliani's efforts to push Ukraine for investigations into his political rivals helped spur the House impeachment inquiry last September. The Senate voted to acquit Trump of the impeachment articles last week after blocking a motion to hear new witnesses and documents.
Giuliani has frequently promoted the allegations that Joe Biden engaged in corruption as vice president while working to oust a Ukrainian prosecutor who was investigating a Ukrainian gas company where Hunter Biden sat on the board. There is no evidence that the Bidens engaged in any malfeasance.
