Justice Department shares classified documents information with lawmakers

April 11 (UPI) -- The Justice Department reportedly has begun to provide the so-called Gang of Eight lawmakers with access to classified documents found in the possession of former President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden, and former Vice President Mike Pence.

NBC News, Punchbowl News and The Hill reported the development, citing anonymous sources. The Gang of Eight consists of the top four leaders in Congress and the head Republican and Democrat from both the Senate and House Intelligence committees. It also includes the chair and ranking member of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate Select Committees on Intelligence, too.

The lawmakers, including Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, previously had expressed frustration with the Justice Department, which had not shared the documents because of the ongoing investigations.

"They're ruining their relationship with a committee that has always been very responsible and a very good working partner with them," Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the committee, told The Hill. "There's no doubt that there's going to be consequences for it. There has to be. We have to protect our role on oversight. And the way you do that, unfortunately, is to leverage [the power] that appropriations and authorizations give us. We would prefer not to, but if we have to, we will."

Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed Jack Smith as special counsel to investigate classified documents found at Trump's residence. Robert Hur has been tapped to handle the Biden probe.