The House voted to approve a Republican-led resolution to carry Legal professional Normal Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress on Wednesday afternoon.
Republican lawmakers voted to hold the legal professional general in contempt after he defied a congressional subpoena aggravating the DOJ turn over the audio recording of special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden. Previously, Garland had given the committee a transcript of the interview but refused to hand over the entire audio.
The House voted to seek out Garland in contempt by way of a vote margin of 216-207. Following the vote, the contempt vote will probably be recommended to the DOJ for prosecution.
Home Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will now certify a file for the U.S. legal professional for the District of Columbia. The regulation requires the attorney to convey the contempt cost to a grand jury earlier than taking motion; then again, the DOJ will make its own resolution regarding prosecution.
Regardless of Republicans already having get right of entry to to the full transcript dialog between Hur and Biden, they’ve related the issue to their current impeachment probe of the president. Moreover, GOP lawmakers have used the transcript to probe Hur’s comments relating to Biden’s negative memory.
Following his investigation, Hur declined to prosecute Biden over his handling of labeled material, claiming within the record that a jury may sympathize with the president because of his terrible reminiscence.
Despite the fact that the Wednesday vote on the House ground does formally censure the legal professional normal, it will seemingly no longer result in Garland’s prosecution. As up to now mentioned, the DOJ holds discretion over such referrals and may just determine whether it merits legal prosecution.
Additionally, Biden has claimed government privilege over the audio tapes, which may present Garland a prison basis for ignoring the congressional subpoena.
Watch the clip above by means of CNN.
The put up Home Votes to Hang AG Merrick Garland In Contempt of Congress first regarded on Mediaite.