House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has confirmed that the House is set to vote on Wednesday regarding holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. This move is a result of an ongoing dispute over audio recordings that are related to President Biden’s handling of classified documents. The location of the conflict is in Washington.
The Republican-led House Judiciary and Oversight committees have demanded that Garland turn over audio recordings of the special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with the president and his ghostwriter as part of their impeachment inquiry. However, the Justice Department has defied subpoenas and has not complied with their demands.
In October 2023, as part of his investigation into the handling of classified documents during Mr. Biden’s tenure as vice president, Hur interviewed the president. The appointment was made by Garland.
In May, the President used his executive privilege to claim ownership over the recording. Following this move, the committees held a vote on whether to hold Garland in contempt, with the decision falling along party lines.
Republicans are calling for audio recordings of Congress interviews, expressing concern that the transcripts may have been tampered with. Although transcripts of the interviews exist, Republicans argue that audio recordings are necessary to ensure their accuracy.
As part of our inquiry, Scalise emphasized on Tuesday the need to identify any differences and understand the reasons behind them if the audio does not align with the transcript.
According to the Justice Department, releasing the recordings could potentially discourage witnesses from cooperating in upcoming and significant investigations due to the fear of negative consequences.
Should the resolution be approved, the House speaker will be instructed to refer the case to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for possible criminal prosecution.