House Republicans have voted to hold United States Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a subpoena.
The House voted to hold Garland in contempt for his refusal to turn over an unredacted audio recording of an interview with President Joe Biden by special counsel Robert Hur.
The recording occurred during Hur's investigation into Biden's handling of classified documents. The Judiciary Committee, led by Republicans such as Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comer, issued a subpoena for the audio, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) only provided some records, excluding the critical audio recording.
DOJ has resisted releasing the full audio, arguing that the congressional interest may be more political than legitimate oversight. However, Republicans insist that the refusal obstructs their investigative and oversight functions, particularly in contrast to how former President Donald Trump is being prosecuted for similar transgressions.
House Republicans vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress 216-207 pic.twitter.com/YLIRE4UqII
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 12, 2024
Biden's interview with Hur was damaging for the president primarily due to reports portraying his memory lapses and perceived confusion over basic facts and dates. During the interview, Biden appeared uncertain about key events, such as the date of his son Beau's death, when he served as vice president and the timeline of President Trump's election. These memory issues were highlighted in Hur's report, which depicted Biden as “an elderly man with a poor memory.”
According to transcripts, Biden struggled to recall the exact year Beau died, needing prompts from his aides to correctly identify it as May 2015. Additionally, he confused the timeline of his vice presidency and events related to classified documents, indicating he was unsure about specific years and activities.
These moments were seen as undermining Biden's credibility and mental sharpness, which Republicans have seized upon as evidence of a double standard when compared to the classified document case involving Trump.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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