Rep. Jamie Raskin urges House Oversight Committee to refer Dan Snyder to DOJ

The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee rejected a call Wednesday from the ranking Democrat on the panel to recommend former Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder be investigated by the Justice Department on charges he lied under oath and obstructed the congressional committee’s 14-month investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, Pennsylvania Democrat, said in a letter to Chairman James Comer that recent NFL findings in a separate investigation into Snyder warranted referral to the Justice Department for investigation and possible criminal charges.

But a spokesperson for the House committee made clear in a statement that the issue is a nonstarter for the panel.

The spokesperson said Raskin was “obsessed with an investigation that has no connection whatsoever to the federal government.”  

The response fell in line with what has been the consistent party line from Republicans, who staunchly opposed the panel’s initial investigation into Snyder and the Commanders when Democrats previously led the committee.
 
“It is very clear what their priorities are — Democrats are more concerned with using Committee resources to target a private sports workplace than investigating the corruption of the sitting President of the United States,” the committee spokesperson said in a statement. “The Oversight Committee is going to continue to prioritize the American people by ensuring our federal government is efficient, accountable, and transparent.”

Earlier in the day, Raskin said in an eight-page letter that findings from a recently concluded NFL investigation revealed discrepancies between what the league found and what Snyder told the House committee when the panel led a 14-month investigation into the embattled billionaire and the Commanders.

ln December 2022, the House committee, then led by Democrats, released a 79-page report that concluded Snyder oversaw a “toxic” workplace culture at the Commanders and impeded multiple investigations into the subject. Snyder participated in a nearly 11-hour sworn deposition with the committee for that probe.

Last month, upon completing the team’s sale to owner Josh Harris, the league issued a $60 million fine to Snyder for what the NFL’s top investigator determined was a “credible” accusation of sexual misconduct. The NFL also said Snyder hid millions in revenue that was supposed to be shared with other teams.

“Making false statements to Congress and obstructing Congressional investigations are serious crimes,” Raskin wrote to Comer. “This Committee cannot conduct effective oversight if witnesses misrepresent and obscure the truth.  I therefore urge you to hold Mr. Snyder accountable by referring him to the Department of Justice for investigation and, if warranted, prosecution, for lying under oath and obstructing this Committee’s investigation.”

Before control of the panel flipped in January, Comer vowed to end the investigation, telling The Washington Times in June 2022 that the “Washington Redskins is not a priority for Republicans on the oversight committee.”

The Democrat-led version of the committee wrapped up its probe into Snyder a month before Republicans took over. As part of Congress’ investigation, former Washington employee Tiffani Johnston came forward to testify that Snyder made an unwanted advance by inappropriately touching her thigh and trying to coax her into his limo at a work dinner.

Snyder fiercely denied the allegations — both publicly and under oath. But last month, the NFL fined Snyder and investigator Mary Jo White said in a report that she found Johnston’s story to be “highly credible.” White, the former chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and her team spoke with four other witnesses who corroborated the incident.

The NFL also found that the Commanders hid up at least $11 million in revenue from the rest of the league and still owed $1.9 million in refundable security deposits to former season ticket holders.

That reveal stemmed from the testimony of Jason Friedman, a former Washington sales executive who told Congress that Washington was committing financial improprieties under Snyder’s watch. The team denied the allegations in part by accusing Friedman of being a former disgruntled employee who was fired, but Friedman’s testimony launched several other investigations by other bodies such as the D.C. Attorney General’s office and the Virginia Attorney General’s office.

Friedman has since filed a lawsuit against the Commanders and one of their attorneys, accusing them of defamation. The team said the suit had no merit.

Raskin referenced Johnston and Friedman throughout his letter to Comer.

“Mr. Snyder’s statements under oath to this Committee, claiming Ms. Johnston’s allegations ‘didn’t happen’ and were ‘not true,’ as well as his assertion that ‘the whole claim is not true’ are inconsistent with the findings of Ms. White’s investigation,” Raskin said. “Mr. Snyder’s testimony to the Committee suggests a deliberate effort to provide false testimony in an effort to obstruct a Congressional investigation.

“These false statements are particularly troubling given that they appear to be part of a pattern of obstruction and misrepresentation that included Mr. Snyder’s efforts to smear Mr. Friedman and his characterization of Ms. Johnston’s account as ‘outright lies,’ as well as his efforts to interfere with a prior investigation conducted by Beth Wilkinson.”