FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

June 23, 2020 

DOJ Lawyer Subpoenaed to Speak at House Judiciary Committee Hearing on Politicization within DOJ 

Government Accountability Project Client to Testify on Experiences in Anti-Trust Division 

WASHINGTON – Tomorrow, Government Accountability Project client and Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney John W. Elias will testify before the House Judiciary Committee. Elias was subpoenaed last week by Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) to provide testimony during the committee’s hearing on politicization within the Department of Justice under the Trump administration.   

Elias has worked for DOJ for over a decade. During the Trump administration, he has served in the department’s anti-trust division which initiated an investigation into a fuel efficiency agreement brokered between auto manufacturers and the state of California. Democratic officials have criticized the inquiry as biased and politically motivated.  

The hearing on the politicization of the DOJ takes place after multiple controversies involving top Trump administration officials, including Barr’s intervention in the Roger Stone case and subsequent resignation of the case’s four prosecutors, the dropping of charges against former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, the tear gassing of peaceful protesters in Lafayette Square, and, just this past week the bungled firing of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.   

Other witnesses at the hearing include DOJ prosecutor Aaron S. J. Zelinsky, who resigned from the Stone case after department officials walked back sentencing, and former Deputy Attorney General Donald Ayer, who served in the department under George H. W. Bush.  

Of the hearing, Elias’ attorney David Seide said, “Mr. Elias is under subpoena. He plans to comply. He is protected as a federal whistleblower.”  

Contact: Andrew Harman, Director of Communications
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 457-0034 x156 

Government Accountability Project 

Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, Government Accountability Project’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, Government Accountability Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. 

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