House Republicans fail to hold AG Garland in contempt over Biden interview tapes

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

HOUSE REPUBLICANS FAILED THURSDAY TO HOLD  ATTORNEY GENERAL MERRICK GARLAND IN INHERENT CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS – FOR NOT TURNING OVER AUDIO TAPES OF SPECIAL COUNSEL ROBERT HUR’S INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN. 

REPRESENTATIVE ANNA PAULINA LUNA BROUGHT THE RESOLUTION LAST MONTH – AFTER GARLAND WAS HELD IN CRIMINAL CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS – FOR DEFYING A CONGRESSIONAL SUBPOENA – HOWEVER THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE DECLINED TO PROSECUTE. 

SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEWED PRESIDENT BIDEN ABOUT HIS HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AND CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS WANT ACCESS TO THOSE RECORDINGS AS PART OF AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY.

IN MAY, PRESIDENT BIDEN ASSERTED EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE OVER THE TAPES.

THE RESOLUTION WOULD’VE FINED GARLAND $10-THOUSAND DOLLARS A DAY UNTIL HE HANDED OVER THE AUDIOTAPES.

AND ACCORDING TO LUNA’S RESOLUTION, SPEAKER JOHNSON WOULD’VE BEEN TASKED WITH IMPOSING THE FINE, THOUGH ITS UNCLEAR HOW HE WOULD’VE ENFORCED IT.

ON X, LUNA BLAMED THE FAILURE ON REPUBLICAN ABSENCES AND VOWED TO BRING UP THE RESOLUTION AGAIN, WRITING: “Attorney General Merrick Garland will pay and be held accountable for trying to undermine our institutions. No one is above the law.”

THE VOTE WAS 210 TO 204. 

12 REPUBLICANS WERE ABSENT AND ANOTHER FOUR VOTED AGAINST THE MEASURE. 

HOUSE DEMOCRATS HAVE ARGUED THAT HUR’S CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY, ALONG WITH WRITTEN TRANSCRIPTS OF HUR’S INTERVIEW WITH BIDEN SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR THEIR INVESTIGATION.

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M LAUREN TAYLOR…

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