Rep. Elijah Cummings demands House panel continues to investigate Jared Kushner's emails

Jessica Estepa | USA TODAY

Rep. Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the House's oversight committee, is demanding that the panel continue its investigation into Jared Kushner's use of a private email address to conduct White House business.

The Maryland Democrat on Wednesday sent a letter to House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy, criticizing Gowdy, R-S.C., for not pushing back on the White House for refusing to produce documents related to Kushner and other Trump advisers using personal email accounts and private servers for official business.

Kushner is President Trump's son in law and a senior adviser.

Cummings contrasted his request with Gowdy's time as head of the committee investigating the House's Benghazi investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server.

"I believe these actions are inconsistent with both our charge on the Oversight Committee and your previous approach during the Obama administration," Cummings wrote. "Now — more than five months after our bipartisan request — I ask that the committee restart our investigation and obtain all of the documents we requested last September."

More: Jared Kushner's private emails: Here's what you need to know

Cummings requested that Gowdy subpoena the White House for documents about non-career officials who used private emails, alias emails and text messages, phone-based message applications or encryption software to conduct official business. Additionally, Cummings asked that they request any policies or directives about such communications.

Gowdy and Cummings initially launched a bipartisan probe after news reports revealed that Kushner and other advisers had used private email accounts to discuss White House matters. According to Kushner's lawyer, fewer than 100 email exchanges were made between Kushner and other officials between January and August 2017.

Under the Presidential Records Act, White House employees are required to preserve their emails.

Further, Kushner and other officials' use of private emails for official business has drawn comparisons to Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of State.

In a separate letter, Cummings also called on Gowdy to issue subpoenas to 16 federal agencies to produce documentation about how political appointees are using personal emails, alias emails, text messages and encryption message systems to conduct official business. Cummings said they originally asked 25 agencies to provide documents; only nine complied.

"The Federal Records Act requires the preservation of records created in the conduct of our nation's business because those records belong to the American people," Cummings wrote. "As the committee of jurisdiction, we have the authority and responsibility to investigate whether federal agencies are complying with the statutory requirements."