The Times reported that Polite and Graves made a broad request for interview transcripts from the committee, but did not indicate how many transcripts they were seeking or whether they had particular interest in any interviews.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the select committee, confirmed Tuesday that the DOJ had requested the transcripts, but said the panel has not yet shared them, according to Politico.
Thompson said he has replied that the committee won’t hand over its “work product” to the DOJ, but might invite department officials to review the documents in committee offices.
The Jan. 6 investigations by the Justice Department and the House Select Committee have been proceeding on separate tracks.
The House select committee plans to begin holding public hearings next month. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the ranking Republican on the committee, has said the committee should keep an intense focus on former President Donald Trump’s role.
So far, the Justice Department’s focus has been on lower-level activists who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 rather than on the organizers of the attack.
The Times noted that a few months ago the DOJ brought in Thomas Windom, a veteran federal prosecutor from Maryland, to its headquarters to consider whether a case can be made related to other efforts to overturn the 2022 election, aside from the Capitol attack.
The Times report said it reviewed a subpoena that indicates that the Justice Department is exploring actions taken by rally planners.
The Times wrote: