Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan issued a subpoena to Thomas Windom for a deposition. This action follows Windom's refusal to answer several questions during a voluntary transcribed interview regarding his role as a prosecutor on former Special Counsel Jack Smith's team.
During the interview, Windom declined to answer questions citing an "unreasonably narrow interpretation of the Justice Department's testimonial authorization." Topics he avoided included the partisan January 6th Select Committee and Fulton County District Attorney employees. He also refrained from providing details about other prosecutors involved in the investigation into President Trump, citing lack of specific Department authorization. These actions were described as conflicting with the Department's directive for "unrestricted testimony."
Windom further relied on what was termed an "overbroad interpretation" of Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. This was used to refuse answering questions about interactions with the FBI concerning billing records from the Willard Hotel, knowledge of potential FBI investigations into President Trump, and communications with the January 6th Select Committee. The position taken by Windom was said to be unsupported by federal court rulings on Rule 6(e).
The House Judiciary Committee has oversight jurisdiction over the Department of Justice and aims to inform potential legislative reforms. These may include changes to Special Counsel regulations and codifying language against selective prosecution of current and former elected officials. The Committee asserts that Windom holds vital information for its oversight activities, making compulsory process necessary due to his refusal to answer certain questions.
