Comer: U.S. Attorney for District of Columbia Must Testify About Failure to Prosecute Majority of Crimes

Press Release

"The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is conducting an oversight hearing on May 16, 2023, to include officials responsible for the affairs of the District of Columbia. The Committee has invited Mayor Muriel Bowser and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Matthew Graves, to testify. Mayor Bowser accepted the invitation. The Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) has informed the Committee that DOJ has refused to allow Mr. Graves to testify. DOJ OLA's excuse is an internal policy that generally prohibits U.S. Attorneys from testifying before Congress. This excuse is unpersuasive and inconsistent with past precedent.

Mr. Graves' and his office's decisions are contributing to rising crime in the city. At the Committee's March 29, 2023 oversight hearing, D.C. Council Members blamed, in part, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia for rising crime. Mr. Graves' office is declining to prosecute violent crimes. If DOJ continues to obstruct congressional oversight in this matter, we will be forced to consider the use of the compulsory process."

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