House Republicans are set to vote Wednesday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents and declined to press charges.
The vote marks a major escalation in a months-long dispute between House Republicans and the executive branch over the records, after Biden asserted executive privilege over the files.
Holding the nation’s top law enforcement official in contempt would bolster Republican allegations that the Justice Department has been used as a weapon against conservatives, allegations that have been particularly heightened following former President Donald Trump’s conviction in New York for falsifying business records.
In their battle against subpoenas from the Justice Department, House Republicans have argued that the audio recordings are critical to their impeachment inquiry into Biden, which remains stalled as the prospects of the investigation leading to impeachment look increasingly unlikely.
House Republican leaders said Tuesday night they were confident they had the votes from their narrow majority to hold Garland in contempt, but they worked behind the scenes to lock down their members before Wednesday’s vote.
A handful of House Republicans have privately expressed concerns about their support for the contempt of Congress resolution, raising questions about whether the conference, with its slim majority, will have the votes needed to pass it, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. Still, House Republicans announced Tuesday night that the vote would take place Wednesday.
By a narrow margin of 208 to 207, the House passed a key procedural step Wednesday morning by adopting the rule that will bring the contempt resolution to the floor for debate and a final adoption vote later in the day.
cnn
