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68 HOUSE OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE WANTS SECURITIES SETTLEMENT DOCUMENTS e ongoing tension between the Justice Department and the House Oversight Com- mittee saw a new development in July as Rep. Darrell Issa (R-California), committee chair and vocal critic of Attorney General Eric Hold- er, requested the department turn over all of its documents related to its recent securities settle- ments with JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup. In a letter released ursday, Issa demand- ed on behalf of the committee that the DoJ provide all documents and communications regarding either settlement dating back to the start of 2011, as well as any memos "referring or relating to policies governing the decision to conclude pre-suit settlement negotiations." While a DoJ spokesperson said the depart- ment is "confident that the resolutions we have reached are appropriate, fair, and in propor- tion to the conduct at issue," Issa contends that DoJ's efforts to strike major settlements with banks—including JPMorgan's historic $13 billion agreement last year and Citi's $7 billion accord announced earlier this month"[stand] in marked contrast to the Department's litiga- tion strategy in other contexts." Issa's letter refers to a case in May in which DoJ secured a guilty plea and $2.6 billion in penalties from Credit Suisse over charges the bank aided Americans in evading taxes. at was followed in June by another guilty plea from BNP Paribas SA, which agreed to pay $8.9 billion for violating U.S. economic sanc- tions in some of its international dealings. Issa's demand is just the latest in a long string of battles against Holder. In 2012, Issa was one of several Republicans leading a charge to hold the Attorney General in contempt of Congress for his refusal to hand over documents related to a botched gun-running sting operation. However, the chairman's latest move might be received more favorably on both sides of the aisle, appeasing equally those who say the government is unfairly targeting big banks for punishment and those who might argue that DoJ has been too lenient on accused offenders. The average student loan debt carried by graduating seniors. Source: The Daily Signal STAT INSIGHT $26,500