The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday passed a resolution charging Attorney General Merrick Garland with contempt of Congress for failing to release the audio recording of a meeting between President Joe Biden and Special Counsel Robert Hur.
The full House must approve a resolution to formally hold Mr. Garland in contempt, which is largely symbolic. Republicans maintain a slim majority in the House to pass the resolution.
If the House passes the resolution, Garland would join Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder and Trump’s Attorney General Bill Barr in facing contempt charges.
Despite multiple warnings and requests for audio, Garland ignored a final warning in April to comply with a subpoena for recordings of interviews with Biden and Hur. Republicans have requested the audio as part of an effort to conduct an impeachment inquiry against Biden over his business involvement.
Mr. Hsu’s investigation into Biden, which ended in February, found that Biden “intentionally” kept classified documents but declined to prosecute, citing “insufficient evidence.” In his report, Mr. Xu characterized Mr. Biden as an “old man with a bad memory.” Records obtained by Breitbart News show that the president experienced confusion and “deterioration of memory” at least seven times during the interview with Xu.
Just before the committee met Thursday to consider the contempt resolution, Biden asserted executive privilege to block the release of the audio. The Justice Department then argued that Biden’s executive privilege prevents Congress from holding Garland in contempt of Congress.
Releasing the audio “would pose an unacceptable risk” of undermining “similar high-profile criminal investigations, especially those in which the voluntary cooperation of White House officials is critical,” Garland said. Ta. Said reporters.
Republicans were undaunted.
“[We] House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement that the resolution and report recommending to the House that Attorney General Garland be held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a lawful subpoena. He said that he plans to proceed with markup of the book. “The White House claims executive privilege over the recordings, but has already waived that privilege by releasing the transcripts of the interviews.”
The White House has previously boasted that it would not claim executive privilege over Xu’s investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. White House press secretary Ian Sams stressed that he was not claiming executive privilege over the investigation, the House Judiciary Committee posted Thursday in Flashback.
“He was transparent,” Sams told reporters. “He had nothing to hide.”
🚨Flashback🚨
In February, White House Press Secretary Ian Sams boasted that Joe Biden did not claim executive privilege during Special Counsel Hur’s investigation.
“He had nothing to hide.”
Why is Biden hiding behind executive privilege now? pic.twitter.com/UyJlezliv1
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) May 16, 2024
Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chan said Biden’s executive order amounted to a double standard.
“Crooked Joe Biden and his weak administration have irrevocably politicized the important constitutional doctrine of executive privilege, actively using it as political cover for Crooked Joe while denying it to his political opponents. “We are trying to use it for this purpose,” Chan said. Said.
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter for Breitbart News and a former Republican war room analyst.he is the author of politics of slave morality.Follow Wendell “X” @WendellHusebø or society of truth @WendellHusebo.
