Key federal agencies instructed to preserve records ahead of presidential transition

As Donald Trump prepares to take office in January, fears are beginning to emerge that documentation of some of the Biden administration's worst scandals may be hidden or destroyed in the interim period.

In acknowledgment of those concerns, House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) last week instructed both Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to take necessary steps to preserve all records pertaining to the border crisis, as Just the News reports.

Jordan issues stark directive

The congressman's communication to the Biden administration officials is seen as a signal that the committee is poised to continue ongoing probes of perceived failures during Biden's tenure in office.

Jordan noted in his letters to the Cabinet officials his concern that the departments they oversee would perhaps engage in a purge of documentation and key information that has already been requested but not provided to his panel.

The communications to Garland and Mayorkas said, “This letter serves as a formal request to preserve all existing and future records and materials related to the Biden-Harris Administration's enforcement of federal immigration law.”

Jordan went on, “You should construe this preservation notice as an instruction to take all reasonable steps to prevent the destruction or alteration, whether intentionally or negligently, of all documents, communications, and other information...that are or may be responsive to this congressional inquiry.”

Other departments facing similar scrutiny

It is not just Garland and Majorkas who have received instructions of this nature, as just this past week, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, asked the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention engage in similar preservation efforts.

Johnson demanded the retention of “all records referring or relating to the development, safety, and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.”

The senator said, “During the Biden administration, these agencies have refused to provide complete and unredacted documents...hindering Congressional oversight and jeopardizing the public's health.”

Johnson told the recipients of his communication, [w]hile your agencies have largely ignored or failed to fully cooperate with my oversight efforts, I can assure you that obstruction will soon come to an end. In the next Congress, when I become chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, any attempt by your agencies to withhold documents will be met with a subpoena.”

Paxton demands action

In a foreboding scenario that points to the potential scope of document destruction ahead of the presidential transfer, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked a federal court to order the U.S. Department of Justice to preserve all records related to special counsel Jack Smith's probe of Trump, a move prompted by an alleged sighting of a document shredding truck outside DOJ headquarters.

Whether the targets of these directives willingly comply or are compelled to do so by a court, it is clear that the incoming administration and the Republican-led House and Senate are committed to pursuing answers and accountability from day one.