First appeared on FOX: The House Judiciary Committee is seeking an explanation for how the Justice Department is working to combat “potential conflicts of interest and political bias” in its case against Google, following reports that the company's lead lawyer is helping Vice President Kamala Harris prepare for a debate with former President Donald Trump.
Fox News Digital obtained the letter sent by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday morning.
Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, speaks at a hearing in Washington, DC on June 13, 2024. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“The Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government continue to conduct surveillance on the manner and extent to which the executive branch conspires with corporations and other intermediaries to censor lawful speech,” Jordan wrote.
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Jordan also cited a report from Fox News Digital which revealed that the lead lawyer defending Google in United States v. Google LLC, a high-profile antitrust case led by the Department of Justice, is advising and preparing Harris for Tuesday night's debate with Trump, hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia.
Karen Dunn, Google's outside counsel through the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, is listed as “lead counsel” in the lawsuit.
Attorney General Merrick Garland made the remarks during a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, in April 2023. (AP/Susan Walsh)
Dunn is also part of Harris' campaign team preparing for her debate with Trump, and he also advised Harris in her 2020 vice presidential debate with then-Vice President Mike Pence.
The Trump campaign raised the possibility of a conflict of interest last month.
Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris will debate in Philadelphia. (Getty)
“Given the existing evidence that the Biden-Harris Administration has pressured Google and conspired to censor the lawful speech of Americans, we wrote to request an explanation for how the Department of Justice is working to combat potential conflicts of interest and political bias in the case of United States v. Google LLC,” Jordan wrote.
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“This apparent conflict of interest raises serious concerns that Mr. Dunn's relationships with key members of the Biden-Harris Administration may create a conflict of interest that could unfairly bias the State Department's response in United States v. Google LLC,” Jordan added.
Jordan reminded Garland that when he was nominated for attorney general, he pledged to “ensure the independence of the Department of Justice from partisan influence.”
“This assertion is difficult to square with reports that Dunn is leading VP Harris' debate preparations while also leading Google's defense against lawsuits filed by the Biden-Harris Administration,” Jordan wrote.
Jordan said he was “given this potential conflict of interest” and wanted clarification on how the Justice Department is working to combat “this and other potential conflicts of interest and political bias” in the Google litigation.
Jordan has asked Justice Department officials to prepare a briefing by September 24.
Google recently struck a deal with the California government that will see the two companies pay a combined $180 million to fund news organizations in the state. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Both Harris' campaign Dunn also did not respond to a request from Fox News Digital seeking comment about his activities ahead of the debate.
The Justice Department confirmed it had received the letter but declined to comment on the matter.
The revelation comes after Google came under scrutiny in the wake of the July 13 assassination attempt on President Trump, which the company initially did not include in its autocomplete search results.
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Google acknowledged that it initially blocked and removed search prompts about the assassination attempt on Trump, saying it was intentionally prohibited and part of its policy to prevent results of “hypothetical political violence against current figures.”
“In the absence of well-established or expert supporting evidence, predictions that could be construed as accusations of serious malicious conduct against individuals or groups are not permitted,” he said.
