{"id":1460844,"date":"2022-05-02T18:44:49","date_gmt":"2022-05-02T22:44:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1460844"},"modified":"2022-05-02T18:45:05","modified_gmt":"2022-05-02T22:45:05","slug":"senate-democrat-reviewed-questions-with-doj-witnesses-before-hearings-emails-reveal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-democrat-reviewed-questions-with-doj-witnesses-before-hearings-emails-reveal\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate Democrat Reviewed Questions With DOJ Witnesses Before Hearings, Emails Reveal"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsenate-democrat-reviewed-questions-with-doj-witnesses-before-hearings-emails-reveal%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1460844&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A top aide to Sen. Jon Ossoff shared questions for pre-approval with a Department of Justice (DOJ) staffer that the Georgia Democrat would ask Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke at Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, emails released by the DOJ pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal.<\/p>\n<p>Sara Schaumburg, Ossoff\u2019s General Counsel, provided lists of questions to Helaine Greenfeld, the then-Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Office of Legislative Affairs. Greenfeld, a former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legistorm.com\/person\/bio\/8441\/Helaine_Ann_Greenfeld.html\">staffer<\/a> in the office of Democratic Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono, has since <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bloomberglaw.com\/us-law-week\/brutal-doj-congressional-liaison-post-to-get-filled-by-biden\">withdrawn<\/a> her nomination to the position. The Office of Legislative Affairs acts as the DOJ\u2019s liaison to Congress.<\/p>\n<p>Greenfeld first reached out to Schaumburg on Oct. 3, 2021, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/oip\/foia-library\/foia-processed\/general_topics\/ga_election_integrity_04_21_22\/download\">emails<\/a> reveal, asking if she had \u201c<span id=\"page105R_mcid13\" class=\"markedContent\"><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">any intel\u201d about questions related to the Violence Against Women Act, Voting Rights Act, and Jonathan Kanter, President Joe Biden\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/07\/20\/biden-big-tech-jonathan-kanter-justice-department\/\">nominee<\/a> to lead the Antitrust Division. Schaumburg responded with six detailed questions Ossoff might ask Clarke. <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/03\/09\/clarkristen-clarke-biden-jussie-smollett\/\"><strong>(RELATED: Biden\u2019s Nominee For Top Civil Rights Post Hyped The Jussie Smollett Hoax, Criticized Police For Seeking Actor\u2019s Cell Phone)<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span id=\"page84R_mcid23\" class=\"markedContent\"><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">Please let me know if you<\/span> <span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">think AAG Clarke would have any trouble <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">answering those (as in,<\/span> <span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">whether it\u2019d be hard for her to give a straight \u201cyes\u201d to those and I<\/span> <span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">can<\/span> <span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">redirect <\/span><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">them<\/span> <span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">to someone on<\/span> <span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">the second panel,\u201d Schaumburg added.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>She later followed up, telling Greenfeld that she \u201cj<span id=\"page66R_mcid15\" class=\"markedContent\"><span class=\"\" dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">ust want[ed] to<\/span> <span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">confirm the AAG is comfortable with the VRAA line of questioning.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>During the Oct. 6 hearing, Ossoff <a href=\"https:\/\/www.c-span.org\/video\/?515179-1\/senate-hearing-john-lewis-voting-rights-act\">spoke<\/a> at length, criticizing Republicans and conservative legislation while using many of the same talking points Schaumburg sent Greenfeld.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMitch McConnell says the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act is \u2018unnecessary.\u2019 According to him, it\u2019s already illegal to discriminate based on race, so no one\u2019s rights are threatened,\u201d Ossoff said, using the exact same words Schaumburg sent to Greenfeld.<\/p>\n<p>Ossoff went on to invite Clarke to promote an amendment he introduced that would precipitate further federal involvement in statewide elections under the guise of preventing threats to local officials, again quoting directly from the email Schaumburg sent to Greenfield.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Attorney General has convened an elections threat task force to deal with this issue, and the Department welcomes the provisions of this bill which would put in place protections to counter this very real threat,\u201d she responded.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_7421654\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7421654\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 MARCH 08: U.S. Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 08, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on combating the rise in hate crimes. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ossoff\u2019s office did not respond to a detailed request for comment from the Daily Caller on the matter.<\/p>\n<p>When Garland appeared before the Judiciary Committee on Oct. 27, 2021 for a general oversight hearing, Republicans once again <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/10\/27\/thank-god-you-are-not-on-the-supreme-court-cotton-slams-garland\/\">peppered<\/a> him with <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/10\/27\/hawley-garland-resign-weaponized-fbi\/\">questions<\/a> about a memorandum encouraging law enforcement officials to conduct terrorism threat assessments on people criticizing elected officials at school board meetings. In contrast, Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/10\/21\/us\/politics\/garland-testimony-jan-6.html\">pressed<\/a> Garland to enforce subpoenas against individuals served by the House committee investigating the Capitol riot, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rev.com\/blog\/transcripts\/ag-merrick-garland-testifies-on-justice-department-oversight-full-senate-hearing-transcript\">called<\/a> on him to implement gun control policies. <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/10\/07\/jim-banks-national-school-boards-association-letter-patriot-act-department-of-justice\/\"><strong>(RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Banks Demands Explanation Of NSBA Domestic Terrorism Letter)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>During his question time, Ossoff asked Garland about issues related to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, election laws, and warant-less digital surveillance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEarlier this year, the GAO, which as you know is a nonpartisan independent watchdog, concluded that BOP lacks a reliable method for assessing the scope of staffing issues or the impact on incarcerated populations and staff of staffing issues at BOP facilities. Do you agree the inability to reliably measure this problem impedes BOP\u2019s ability to address gaps? For example, shortages of medical staff, shortages of personnel who will help implement the first step act in anti-recidivism programs, as well as makes it more difficult for Congress to respond? And will you commit to working with my office to help identify where there\u2019s gaps in planning or budgeting or personnel management or the authorities that BOP has?\u201d Ossoff asked Garland.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, Senator,\u201d the attorney general comfortably agreed, adding that he would \u201cbe happy to have somebody on our staff meet with your staff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>WATCH:<\/strong><\/p>\n[embedded content]\n<p>In another exchange, Ossoff asked Garland whether or not the DOJ purchases commercially available cell phone data that it can then crawl through without receiving a search warrant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think there are serious Fourth Amendment concerns there,\u201d the senator said.<\/p>\n<p>Garland responded that he was not sure if the DOJ did so, but that he would \u201clook into that and get back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In both instances, Garland was provided advance notice of Ossoff\u2019s questions almost verbatim. In this case, Schaumburg reached out to Greenfeld unprompted on Oct. 25, telling her that the DOJ should make her aware if any questioning \u201c<span id=\"page114R_mcid11\" class=\"markedContent\"><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">causes<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><span id=\"page114R_mcid12\" class=\"markedContent\"><span dir=\"ltr\" role=\"presentation\">heartburn.\u201d In particular, Schaumburg noted the \u201cphrasing\u201d of a question about the Voting Rights Act, asking if Ossoff\u2019s \u201cwindup\/<span id=\"page114R_mcid14\" class=\"markedContent\">question could be unhelpful in any way.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Ossoff did not ultimately ask the question about which Schaumburg expressed concern.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A top aide to Sen. Jon Ossoff shared questions for pre-approval with a Department of Justice (DOJ) staffer that the Georgia Democrat would ask Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":1481296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1460844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1460844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/67"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1460844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1460844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1481296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1460844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1460844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1460844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}