House Republicans are gearing up to hold Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. Here's why.
USA TodayJUN 15 2024
Garland Held in Contempt by US House
Above: US Attorney General Merrick Garland returns from a break in testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on June 4, 2024. Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
The Republican-majority US House voted along party lines Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for his refusal to turn over audio of Democratic Pres. Joe Biden's interview with a special counsel.
Republicans, who say they need the audio as part of an ongoing impeachment inquiry of the president, have pursued the recordings since Special Counsel Robert Hur's written report described Biden as a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
Hur decided not to prosecute Biden for his handling of classified documents, but wrote it "would be difficult to convince a jury" to convict him of a "serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness."
The Spin
Democratic narrative
This is a political game Republicans are playing in order to distract from the legal troubles of former Pres. Donald Trump, the GOP's presumptive nominee for president. Republicans received a transcript of Hur's interview and their pursuit of the recordings is just part of the off-the-wall conspiracy theories they have to sell to their followers to distract from their deficiencies.
Republican narrative
This isn't about politics, it's about an attorney general who believes he's above the law and an administration that's doing all it can to obfuscate this situation. A recording is always superior evidence to a transcript, and Congress has a right to hear what Hur said as part of their investigation into the president's possible crimes or incompetence. Besides, the president lost executive privilege when he released the transcript.