The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a resolution on July 11 that would have fined Attorney General Merrick Garland $10,000 per day for failing to comply with a subpoena for tapes of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna forced a vote on the measure, which failed in a 204-210 vote on Thursday. The vote came after House Republicans previously voted to hold Mr. Garland in contempt for not complying with the subpoena, which the White House claimed executive privilege over. In response to the contempt referral, Mr. Garland criticized the House for politicizing the issue.
Following the Department of Justice’s refusal to take up the contempt referral, House Republicans filed a lawsuit to gain access to the tapes. Ms. Luna argued that the measure was necessary for legislative equality with the executive branch. The DOJ stated that Congress already had the interview transcripts and did not require the audio recordings. However, House Republicans maintained that they needed the tapes to verify the transcript’s accuracy and confirm Mr. Hur’s assessment of President Biden.
The White House and Democrats accused Republicans of seeking the tapes for partisan reasons. Rep. Jim McGovern stated that the transcripts had already been provided, making the subpoena for audio recordings unnecessary. The DOJ also contended that releasing the tapes could discourage future presidents from cooperating with investigations. The resolution used, known as inherent contempt, is a power held by Congress but has not been utilized since the early 20th century.
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed support for the resolution but preferred to pursue legal action. Ms. Luna initially proposed having the House sergeant-at-arms arrest Mr. Garland, but later revised the measure to a $10,000 daily fine. The Epoch Times reached out to the Justice Department for comment on the matter.
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