Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, chair of the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, is accusing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of obstructing a congressional investigation into the Biden administration's handling of the pandemic.
"HHS has spent the last year intentionally avoiding lawful Congressional oversight," Wenstrup said Friday in a news release. "When the Select Subcommittee requested documents, HHS ignored our letters and provided suspect excuses. When we asked for important testimony, HHS seemed to purposefully mislead Select Subcommittee investigators."
Wenstrup said the select subcommittee will hold a hearing Wednesday with Melanie Egorin, the department's assistant secretary for legislation, to demand accountability.
"If HHS continues to obscure the Select Subcommittee's investigation, we will be forced to evaluate the use of the compulsory process," he said. "The buck stops with Assistant Secretary Egorin."
On Nov. 2, the select subcommittee subpoenaed Egorin to be deposed behind closed doors on Nov. 16. A letter notifying HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra of the subpoena claimed:
– HHS redacted information that was not redacted in related Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) inquiries. "FOIA does not apply to Congress," the letter stated. "There is no legal basis for a Congressional Committee to receive less information than a FOIA requestor."
– HHS redacted the names of nongovernmental employees and foreign nationals, including members of the Chinese Communist Party, under the guise of a "concerning escalation of threats and harassment, particularly toward public health professionals and scientists." The letter stated in documents obtained in a FOIA request by Judicial Watch, the names were "largely" unredacted.
– HHS missed numerous deadlines and, in some cases, "simply failed to produce any of the requested documents in response to legitimate oversight requests."
"This pattern of avoiding accountability to the American people cannot, and should not, be tolerated any longer," Wenstrup said in the news release. "The Department must be held responsible for its parade of delays, excuses, and obfuscation. Complying with Congressional oversight is not optional."
Newsmax reached out to HHS for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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