House Republicans are preparing to issue subpoenas to senior members of the intelligence community and withhold spending in order to get information about why it took President Joe Biden eight days to respond to the Chinese spy balloon.

The Biden administration has so far been tight-lipped on details about the balloon and the administration’s response to it, according to Republican members who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon Tuesday. They have concerns about the Chinese operation, including Biden’s hesitation to shoot the balloon down and an anonymous Department of Defense official alleging to the press that the Trump administration allowed three similar balloons to fly over the continental United States without a military response.

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., said he is concerned that the public only became aware of the Chinese spy balloon after it was spotted by civilians. With Republicans in the majority, “subpoenas are well within our power,” Bost said, and could be “the stick in order to get people to come forward.” Bost also threatened to withhold spending if the Biden administration won’t give Congress answers. Read Full Story

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• Townhall: Biden Raises Eyebrows for Going Off Script to Make This Comment About China’s President
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As the House GOP plans numerous investigations into Joe Biden’s various scandals, ranging from government misconduct to his family’s questionable business ties, a far-left dark money group is organizing to deliberately sabotage those probes.

According to The Washington Free Beacon, the Congressional Integrity Project (CIP) plans to regularly send information to the Biden White House to help combat the probes, including opposition research on the Republicans leading the investigations, poll data, and political ads.

The CIP, first created in 2020, does not reveal the identities of its donors. However, tax filings reveal that most of its funding comes from another far-left group, the Sixteen Thirty Fund (STF), which has been described as the “indisputable heavyweight of Democratic dark money.” Since 2020, STF has given over $1.5 million to the CIP, the same amount of money that CIP has since reported in revenues in the same time period.

Brad Woodhouse, a senior adviser for CIP and Democratic strategist, has openly said that the group’s goal is to “exploit every tactic available” to block the progress of Republican-led investigations. Read Full Story

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• Washington Examiner: Republicans Hold Slight Advantage in Race for House Control in First Ratings for 2024 Cycle
• The Washington Times: University of Delaware Seen as Next Target in Biden Classified Docs Probe

The Department of Justice responded to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., on Monday, denying a Jan. 13 request for information regarding its probe into classified documents found at President Joe Biden’s home and private office. 

“The Department’s longstanding policy is to maintain the confidentiality of such information regarding open matters,” said Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs Carlos Uriarte in the letter. 

“Disclosing non-public information about ongoing investigations could violate statutory requirements or court orders, reveal road maps of our investigations, and interfere with the Department’s ability to gather facts, interview witnesses, and bring criminal prosecutions where warranted,” the letter continues. 

“Maintaining confidentiality also safeguards the legal rights, personal safety, and privacy interests of individuals implicated by, or who assist in, our investigations.” Read Full Story

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• American Greatness: Why Biden’s Document Retention Is Profoundly Troubling
• The Washington Times: More People Cite Government as Nation’s Top Problem: Gallup
• The Washington Free Beacon: ‘Time Is of the Essence’: GOP’s Weaponization Committee Won’t Wait Long on Subpoenas