Justice Department says U.S. attorneys are reviewing Ukraine information

Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd sent a letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) Tuesday informing him that the U.S. attorneys for the Eastern District of New York and the Western District of Pennsylvania are reviewing "unsolicited" information from the public related to matters involving Ukraine.

Why it matters: Nadler had requested an explanation for the "intake process" that Attorney General Bill Barr stated had been set up in order to receive information that Rudy Giuliani had obtained about the Bidens in Ukraine.

• While the letter doesn't explicitly say that the Ukraine-linked information is coming from Giuliani, the former New York mayor's efforts to dig up dirt on President Trump's political opponents set off a chain of events that ultimately led to the president's impeachment.
• Giuliani is also believed to be under investigation in the Southern District of New York as a result of his foreign dealings.
• In a letter to the Justice Department on Feb. 10, Nadler demanded answers as to why the department is receiving information from Giuliani "outside of normal channels," especially in light of allegations that Barr was also involved in the Ukraine scheme.

Details: Boyd stated in the letter that the department "regularly assigns U.S. attorneys to coordinate or focus on certain matters," and that this process "does not circumvent the department's established channels."

• Boyd stressed that all information will be "carefully evaluated and vetted," and that the department "remains vigilant against the significant threat of disinformation."
• He also repeated the Justice Department's denial that Barr has ever discussed matters related to Ukraine with Giuliani.

Read the full letter.