The subpoenas were reportedly part of the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on leaks of classified information related to contact with Russia by the previous president's campaign. At the time the Democrats' records were sought, the House Intelligence Committee was conducting an investigation into the matter.
The letter follows Durbin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Trump-era Attorney Generals Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr to testify before the Judiciary Committee and threatened to subpoena the previous officials if they refused. But Senate Democrats would need support from at least one Senate Republican on the committee to pursue the subpoena, since the Judiciary panel is evenly split to reflect the 50-50 Senate.
In Monday’s letter, the Democrats vowed to “vigorously investigate this apparent effort to weaponize DOJ against Trump’s perceived political enemies.”
Their push is unlikely to get much GOP buy-in. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday called attacks on Barr a "partisan circus" and suggested Democrats were pursuing a "witch hunt in the making."
In addition to calling for a briefing, the Democrats on the committee also requested that the Justice Department provide the “factual and legal predicate” for the secret subpoenas; describe the department’s process for obtaining grand jury subpoenas; and provide information about whether other members of Congress were targeted.
In addition, Senate Democrats asked for more detail concerning the Office of Legal Counsel and requested additional documents, including copies of the subpoenas.