Garland Contempt Vote May Prove Whether ‘No One Is Above the Law’

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland could be held in contempt of Congress as House Republicans moved forward today to hold him accountable for defying Congressional subpoenas.

Last month, two Republican-led House Committees passed resolutions recommending that Garland be held in contempt for withholding audio tapes of president Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur over the mishandling of classified documents.

Garland has flatly refused to hand over the audio recordings, claiming that the requests are illegitimate and that complying with the subpoenas would compromise the ability of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to pursue “sensitive investigations.”

Unelected Merrick Garland says the DOJ doesn’t have to obey Congressional subpoenas.

Garland thinks he is above the law while he takes a tax payer funded paycheck.

We are voting right now on Oversight to hold Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress.

pic.twitter.com/FfARgimJ6D

— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) May 17, 2024

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) says the audio recordings of Hur’s interview with Biden may not only hold key evidence pertaining to an impeachment probe against the president but also may prove that the transcript of the interview may have been altered to help Biden.

Jordan maintains that Hur’s report clearly states, on page one, that Biden knowingly kept classified information and knowingly disclosed that information to someone who was not allowed to get it.

Jim Jordan announces the House will vote today on a resolution to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for withholding audio from President Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur.pic.twitter.com/K0CDmAl15R

— The American Conservative (@amconmag) June 12, 2024

Jordan also pointed out that Biden had strong motivation to ignore classified procedures because he was writing a book for which he was paid $8 million. Despite those element of criminal wrongdoing and an $8 million dollar motive, Special Counsel Hur said he would not recommend charges against Biden, saying that he doubted that a jury would convict “an elderly man with a bad memory.”

The question that hangs over Hur’s decision is whether the transcript matches the recording or whether the transcript was altered before being publicly released. The audio could also shed light on questions of whether the aging president is losing his mental faculties.

Jordan says Congress is entitled to all the evidence, including the audio tape, which is currently locked away in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) says she is currently working on an “inherent contempt” action that could result in Garland being arrested if he continues to fail to comply with the subpoenas.