The Justice Department has informed House Republicans the agency isn’t likely to share information about its ongoing criminal probes — and it’s safe to assume this won’t sit well with GOP leaders who hope to scrutinize President Joe Biden.

In a letter sent to House Republicans and obtained by Politico on Friday, the DOJ said it “stands ready” to work with congressional leaders, but wasted no time in informing House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) that “any oversight requests must be weighed against the department’s interests in protecting the integrity of its work,” Insider reports.

“The Department’s mission to independently and impartially uphold the rule of law requires us to maintain the integrity of our investigations, prosecutions, and civil actions, and to avoid even a perception that our efforts are influenced by anything but the law and the facts,” the DOJ stated in the letter.

“With respect to oversight requests for information and documents, we share your belief that congressional oversight is vital to our functioning democracy and we are committed to cooperating with the Committee’s legitimate efforts to seek information, consistent with our obligation to protect Executive Branch confidentiality interests,” the letter added.

The DOJ added that it wants Republicans to be more specific about what they want to have access to while confirming that any relevant information about ongoing probes may not be able to be shared in a public setting, per Insider.

“The Department will be better able to meet your needs at hearings if your request is specific concerning the information the Committee seeks,” the letter reads. “While we will work diligently to accommodate requests for public testimony, it may not always be possible to participate or to address all the topics the Committee wishes to raise.”

The DOJ also said, “When information is not appropriate for a public hearing, we will make appropriate efforts to determine if such information can be shared in a different setting, such as a briefing, a closed hearing, or through the provision of other information.”

House Republicans have already said earlier this month that they are planning to investigate the Department of Justice’s handling of a number of key investigations, including the separate counsel probes into classified documents discovered in possession of Biden and former President Donald Trump.

As you might expect, Republicans are not happy about this, and those in the House Judiciary vented their disapproval at the DOJ.

“Why’s DOJ scared to cooperate with our investigations?” the GOP committee posted on Twitter.

Why’s DOJ scared to cooperate with our investigations?

— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) January 20, 2023

This strikes me as typical Republican hyperbole.

No, the DOJ isn’t “scared.” It just offered up a polite explanation saying it will try to cooperate whenever possible but may not acquiesce to every single Republican demand.

And Insider notes the letter demonstrates the hurdles Jordan will face as he tries to investigate the Biden administration, even though the House GOP has already formed a subcommittee intended to investigate the alleged “weaponization” of the federal government.

Jordan has already been on quite the document quest, having already fired off letters to high-level government officials. Among them are Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

But we already know what Jordan is really trying to do: Alleviate some of the problems his pal Donald Trump is facing. He’s not fooling anyone.