A resolution to authorize the production of records by the Committee on Foreign Relations.
This Senate resolution authorizes the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations, acting jointly, to provide to the Department of Justice certain committee records. Specifically, the records concern a panel discussion attended by committee staff and are to be used in connection with the case United States v. Peter Biar Ajak (CR-24-00394-PHX-SPL) in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. The measure invokes the Senate’s privileges and Rule XI to justify sharing the records, clarifying that while the Senate generally guards its evidence, it can permit release when it serves the ends of justice. The authorization is limited to these particular records and this particular case. In short, the resolution creates a narrowly tailored exception allowing DOJ access to a specified set of committee records to aid a criminal case, while reaffirming that Senate control over its records remains intact and that permission would be needed to remove such records from Senate possession.
Key Points
- 1The resolution authorizes the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, acting jointly, to provide committee records to the Department of Justice.
- 2The records to be released are related to a panel discussion attended by committee staff.
- 3The purpose of the release is to assist in United States v. Peter Biar Ajak (CR-24-00394-PHX-SPL) in the District of Arizona.
- 4The release is grounded in the Senate’s privileges and Rule XI, which protect Senate records but allow justified access in pursuit of justice.
- 5The authorization is explicitly limited to these records and this case; it does not imply a broader or ongoing transfer of Senate materials.