Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida is taking grave action against Attorney General Merrick Garland after the Justice Department refused to arrest him for refusing to release tapes of special counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with President Joe Biden.
After Garland’s refusal, Congress accused him of contempt of court.
During a Sunday appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” host Maria Bartiromo asked Luna about the Justice Department’s decision not to charge Garland with contempt of Congress and Congress’s plans in response.
Related:
Department of Justice to Speaker Johnson: No prosecution of Merrick Garland for contempt of Congress
Luna explained that several months ago she “introduced a resolution on what is called inherent contempt of Congress” because she “expected that the Department of Justice would not do its job.”
“And that allows Congress to really be the punitive weapon and really hold Garland accountable by using the Sergeant at Arms to get him and the tapes, get him in the House and really be a check and balance on the Justice Department. Again, that hasn’t happened since the early 20th century, but that vote will happen. And hopefully we’ll be able to enforce some accountability. I know that if this goes to court, as Johnson said, that’s really going to get stuck there. It’s not going to accomplish anything. And the American people deserve more than strongly worded letters. I think we’re all frustrated. And so we’re hoping to enforce that accountability.”
Today on @SundayFutures with @MariaBartiromoCongressman from Florida @RepLuna explains the Republicans’ next step after the Justice Department declined to charge U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland with contempt of Congress.
➡️@FoxNews pic.twitter.com/ZwEzdqCOq8
— SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) June 16, 2024
The legislator announced She expressed her intention to push for a vote on the resolution during another appearance on Fox News last week.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida announces that she will force a vote on the arrest of Attorney General Merrick Garland if the Justice Department does not make a decision on a criminal contempt of court resolution supported by the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives.
Luna told Fox News Digital on Tuesday night that she wanted to force a vote on her resolution for “inherent contempt” against Garland after the full House of Representatives decides the Biden official’s fate in a separate measure.
“Right now, we fully intend to get it done,” Luna revealed. “I don’t really have a lot of faith in the Justice Department. And I don’t think the American people do either. But we’re trying to level the playing field again and show that there should be accountability all the way to the top.”
She added: “If the Justice Department doesn’t do its job, we’ll do it for them.”
The inherent contempt provision is different from the contempt provision that is scheduled to be voted on Wednesday afternoon. While the latter would refer Garland to his own department for criminal charges, the inherent contempt provision, if adopted, would direct the House Sergeant at Arms to arrest Garland himself.
At the heart of the matter is Hur’s explosive report on his investigation into President Biden’s alleged misuse of classified documents. In the report, he seemed to confirm suspicions about the president’s cognitive decline, an issue that worries many voters.
