The House Judiciary Committee is set to consider a resolution on May 16 to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. The reason behind this action is Mr. Garland’s refusal to provide audio tapes of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with President Joe Biden regarding alleged mishandling of classified information. The resolution will be discussed during a hearing where amendments can be made before it is passed out of the committee and sent to the House floor.
It is uncertain whether Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will bring the resolution to the floor for a vote. The House Judiciary and Oversight and Accountability Committees had previously warned Mr. Garland that he would face contempt of Congress charges if he did not comply with the subpoena for the tapes from Mr. Hur’s interview with President Biden.
The Justice Department has argued against providing the tapes, stating that the transcripts of the interviews should be sufficient for the committees. However, the committees have emphasized the importance of the audio recordings in providing unique insights that cannot be conveyed through text alone.
Mr. Hur announced that President Biden would not be charged for his handling of classified documents, citing lack of evidence to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The decision was also influenced by considerations of mental acuity and the likelihood of a jury not convicting the president.
In response to the ongoing dispute, the committees have threatened contempt proceedings against the attorney general for failing to turn over the requested tapes. The Justice Department has maintained its position that there is no legitimate need for the recordings to be provided.
The Epoch Times has reached out to relevant parties for comment on the matter. Samantha Flom contributed to this report. Can you please rephrase this?
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