WASHINGTON — In the latest attempt by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives to obtain tape recordings of the U.S. Department of Justice special counsel’s interview with President Joe Biden, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday rejected the Florida Republicans’ request to Rep. Anna Paulina LunaThe decision to fine Attorney General Merrick Garland for withholding this information.
The measure – which was rejected 204-210 – would have a daily fine of $10,000 to take action against Garland under the House’s rarely used power to assert “inherent contempt” claims until he complies with a subpoena and releases the tapes of the interview between Special Counsel Robert K. Hur and Biden about his handling of classified information.
Four Republicans voted against Luna’s measure, including California Reps. John Duarte and Tom McClintock and Ohio Reps. David Joyce and Mike Turner.
The resolution is part of a broader effort by Republicans to secure the audio material – a campaign that has been ongoing since Biden’s catastrophic debate performance two weeks ago.
During the floor debate on Wednesday, Luna described the plan as a way to hold Garland accountable to the legislature.
“Because Attorney General Garland and the Department of Justice refuse to follow the law, we have no choice but to invoke inherent disregard for the law,” she said.
Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts called the measure “stupid” on Wednesday, citing the Republican party leadership’s muted support for it.
“The Republican leadership knows this is a stupid resolution,” he said. “Their own members know this is a stupid resolution, but they are beholden to the craziest MAGA members in their conference. And this is the result: stupid resolutions in the floor because they are too cowardly to stand up to extremism in their own party.”
The debate was adjourned for more than 20 minutes after Republican Morgan Griffith of Virginia asked for McGovern’s words to be deleted. After the break, McGovern acknowledged the deletion and stopped using the word “stupid” in his further remarks.
“I urge you to vote no on this resolution – I must now delete this word –” he said.
The Justice Department declined to comment on Luna’s efforts on Wednesday.
GOP leadership
Former President Donald J. Trump, the likely Republican presidential candidate, Truth Social on Wednesday to show his support for Luna’s efforts.
“I agree with Anna Paulina Luna and the many House Members who believe that Merrick Garland should be held in contempt of court for his refusal to release the Biden tapes despite being subpoenaed!” Trump wrote.
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson expressed skepticism about Luna’s move. At a press conference on Tuesday, he said: “As a former constitutional lawyer, I prefer to pursue the legal process, the legal processes that protect the institution.”
Johnson of Louisiana said he would rather focus on the Republicans’ civil lawsuit in the House Judiciary Committee, but added that he would vote for the Luna bill if it came to a vote.
“I would rather do it the way we did in our current litigation, but we’ll let things run as they run,” Johnson said, adding, “Every member has the right to make such a privileged motion, and Anna is very committed to that principle, and so am I. We all are. I think every Republican is.”
Luna’s decision also meant a withdrawal from her previous efforts In May, a bill was introduced calling on the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives to arrest Garland.
In the past, Congress has shied away from the lengthy and burdensome inherent contempt of court process—not used in either chamber since the 1930s—raising questions about how the House could actually enforce the fine.
Republicans push for tape recordings
Garland was confronted several times by Republicans in the House of Representatives in attempts to obtain the tapes.
Last month, The Republicans in the House of Representatives voted Garland for contempt of Congress after he agreed with Biden’s claim that he had executive privilege regarding the tapes.
Garland also is facing a civil lawsuit by the House Judiciary Committee was filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and aims to overturn Biden’s claim to executive privilege.
House Republicans continue to insist on releasing the audio file, even though the Justice Department has provided a transcript of the Hur-Biden interview to the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Garland appointed Hur to investigate Biden’s handling of classified information in January 2023. Hur, a federal prosecutor during the Trump administration, wrote in the report that Biden “intentionally withheld and disclosed classified materials after his vice presidency, while still a private citizen.”
However, Hur declined to prosecute the president, noting that “Mr. Biden would likely present himself to the jury at trial as a sympathetic, well-meaning older man with a poor memory, as he did during our interview with him.” The octogenarian vehemently rejected the characterization of his memory.
