06/12/2024

House Republicans Prepare to Hold Attorney General Garland in Contempt

Garland would be the third attorney general to be reprimanded by the House

Today, the Republican-led House of Representatives is expected to vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress, escalating a tug-of-war over audiotapes of President Biden's interview with a special prosecutor.

That federal criminal investigation ended this year with no charges against Biden for mishandling classified information, in part because special counsel Robert Hur concluded a jury would likely view the president as a "sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory."

Top Republican leaders worked Tuesday night to count votes to ensure the measure could pass in the narrowly divided chamber. If Republicans are successful, Garland will become the third attorney general to be reprimanded by the House for defying a congressional subpoena. But the consequences are likely to end there, since Biden has asserted executive privilege over the tapes, giving Garland legal protection from any further investigation.

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