Congressman Cohen Returns to Washington for Judiciary Committee Oversight Hearing on Politicization of the Department of Justice

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee and Chairman of its Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, will return to Washington to participate in a hearing examining the unprecedented politicization of the Department of Justice under Attorney General William Barr. The hearing on interference and threats to prosecutorial independence will include prominent whistleblowers in recent high-profile cases as witnesses.

The hearing comes days after Barr forced out the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, whose office is reviewing President Trump's personal attorney and his associates, and weeks after the Justice Department intervened in an attempt to drop charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and attempted to reduce the recommended sentence for convicted longtime Trump strategist Roger Stone.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"The Justice Department under Bill Barr has clearly been corrupted. This important agency, charged with upholding the rule of law, is instead busy trying to protect the President and his close associates from the law. I expect the witness testimonies will unmask a culture of corruption so vast and unaccountable that the American people will be appalled and repelled. This hearing will explore the very essence of checks and balances in our system of government, and I hope everyone will be paying attention."

Witnesses at Wednesday's hearing will be:

• Donald Ayer

Adjunct Professor

Georgetown University Law Center and

Former Deputy Attorney General

U.S. Department of Justice

• Aaron S.J. Zelinsky

Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland

U.S. Department of Justice

• John W. Elias

Trial Attorney, Antitrust Division

U.S. Department of Justice

• Michael B. Mukasey

Former Attorney General

The hearing will be livestreamed at https://judiciary.house.gov