The House Judiciary Committee Republicans voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. This action follows President Joe Biden's use of executive privilege to block the release of audio recordings from a special counsel interview.
Daily Mail reported that the recordings are from an interview between former Special Counsel Robert Hur and President Biden, centered on Biden’s handling of classified documents.
The Republicans on the committee believe these recordings contain crucial information about Biden's memory lapses and mishandling of sensitive materials.
Attorney General Garland faced criticism for refusing to provide the audio tapes. He defended the Department of Justice's (DOJ) decision, stating that significant information had already been given to the committee in the form of interview transcripts.
Oversight Chair James Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan were leading the charge, arguing that the White House had already waived executive privilege by releasing the interview transcript.
Both committees planned to hold Garland in contempt for not complying with their subpoenas. The Oversight Committee was scheduled to vote later in the evening.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre supported the President's decision to assert executive privilege. She emphasized the need to protect sensitive law enforcement files.
Garland argued that the contempt move was part of a broader, unfounded attack on the DOJ:
There have been a series of unprecedented and frankly, unfounded attacks on the Justice Department. This request, this effort to use contempt as a method of obtaining our sensitive law enforcement files is just the most recent the effort to threaten to defund our investigations, and the way in which there are contributions through an atmosphere that puts our agents and our prosecutors at risk. These are wrong.
The DOJ maintained that releasing the audio could undermine future cooperation from witnesses. Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer reiterated this point, explaining that providing the transcripts was already an extraordinary accommodation.
The Republicans insisted that the audio recordings were essential for their investigation. They highlighted specific sections of Hur's report, which described Biden as an elderly man with a poor memory who mishandled classified documents.
Hur’s interviews with Biden showed significant memory lapses and a casual attitude toward classified materials. Comer remarked, "The Biden Administration does not get to determine what Congress needs and does not need for its oversight of the executive branch."
Garland, however, refused to comply with the subpoenas, leading to the contempt proceedings. He emphasized the DOJ’s concern that releasing the recordings could jeopardize the security and willingness of future witnesses to cooperate with investigations.
As the April 8 deadline for Garland to hand over the materials approached, tensions between the DOJ and Congress escalated. Republicans remained unsatisfied with the transcripts provided and continued to press for the audio recordings.
