Lawyer defends Google in Justice Department case, prepares Harris for debate: ‘Conflict of interest,’ Jordan investigates

FIRST ON FOX: The House Judiciary Committee has asked the Justice Department for a briefing on how it plans to address “potential conflicts of interest and political bias” in the lawsuit against Google, following reports that the tech giant's lead attorney is preparing Vice President Harris for the debate against former President Trump.

Fox News Digital obtained a letter that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday morning.

“The Judiciary Committee and the Special Subcommittee on Arming the Federal Government continue to monitor how and to what extent the executive branch has colluded with corporations and other intermediaries to censor lawful speech,” Jordan wrote.

Harris prepares for debate with Google lawyer, causing “conflicts of interest” according to Trump campaign team

Jordan further cited a Fox News Digital report showing that Google's lead attorney in US v. Google LLC, a high-profile antitrust case led by the Justice Department, is also advising and preparing Harris for Tuesday night's debate against Trump, hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia.

Karen Dunn, who serves as Google's outside legal counsel through the law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, is listed as “lead counsel” in the lawsuit.

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a press conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, in April 2023. (AP/Susan Walsh)

Dunn is also on Harris' campaign team to prepare her for her debate against Trump. Dunn also advised Harris ahead of her 2020 vice presidential debate against then-Vice President Mike Pence.

The Trump team pointed out a possible conflict of interest last month.

Former President Trump and Vice President Harris will debate in Philadelphia. (Getty)

“Given existing evidence that the Biden-Harris administration pressured and colluded with Google to censor the lawful expression of American citizens, we are writing to request a briefing on how the Department of Justice is working to address potential conflicts of interest and political bias in United States v. Google LLC,” Jordan wrote.

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“This apparent conflict of interest raises serious concerns about whether Dunn's relationship with key figures in the Biden-Harris administration creates a conflict of interest that could improperly influence the Department's approach in United States v. Google LLC,” Jordan added.

Jordan reminded Garland that when he was appointed Attorney General, he had promised to “guarantee the independence of the Department from partisan political influence.”

“This claim is difficult to reconcile with reporting that Ms. Dunn is leading debate preparations for Vice President Harris while also leading Google's defense against a lawsuit filed by the Biden-Harris administration,” Jordan wrote.

Jordan said that “given this potential conflict of interest,” he was requesting a briefing on how the Justice Department is working to address “these and other potential conflicts of interest and political bias” in the Google case.

Jordan asked Justice Department officials to organize the briefing by September 24.

Google recently entered into an agreement with the California government under which both companies will together raise $180 million to fund the state's newsrooms. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Neither the Harris campaign nor Dunn responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment on Dunn's work ahead of the debate.

The Justice Department confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to comment on the matter.

The revelations come after Google came under scrutiny following the Trump assassination attempt. Google's autocomplete search results initially did not register the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump.

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Google admitted that it had initially blocked and removed search requests related to the assassination attempt on Trump. The ad was intentionally banned and part of the company's policy to prevent search results related to “hypothetical political violence against current figures.”

“We do not allow predictions that could be interpreted as accusations against individuals or groups of serious malicious acts without substantiated or expert-backed evidence,” said Mark Isakowitz, vice president of government affairs and public policy at Google in the U.S. and Canada.