The House is poised to set up a special panel to scrutinize investigations by the Justice Department and other agencies, including into ongoing criminal inquiries and alleged pressure on social media companies.
Proponents of the committee say the intention is to expose civil rights abuses by government agencies through criminal investigations and the collection of citizen information. Its broad mandate could include seeking information about current probes involving former President Donald Trump.
Democratic critics say it risks exposing details about investigations and intelligence and would instead promote conspiracy theories about the Justice Department, the FBI and U.S. spy agencies.
