(IntegrityPress.org) – The House Judiciary Committee passed a resolution advising contempt of Congress charges against the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding a repeated failure of the Department of Justice to produce subpoenaed records. The failures were documented and elaborated in a detailed report from the committee.
The report outlines how Garland refused to produce records regarding Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified documents, including sharing them with his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer. Accusations in the report suggest Garland withheld copies of the audio recordings of Biden discussing the allegations with Hur after Congress subpoenaed the records in accordance with federal law.
There’s no reason given by Garland or the DOJ as to why the records aren’t being produced, they’re simply refusing to do so in violation of traditional norms and existent law. The Judiciary Committee highlighted that the reason they required the records was twofold: first they are considering the question of whether or not to impeach President Joe Biden, secondly they are considering legislation to compel the DOJ to commit to “impartial justice.”
The report continued to elaborate the context in which the subpoena request was denied by recounting the fact that then-Vice President Joe Biden was paid the sum of $8 million as an advance for his memoir. Hur plainly stated that Biden used the classified information, including raw documents, detailed notes from meetings with dignitaries as an “invaluable resource” which enhanced the value of the book. Despite the fact that Biden knowingly shared classified information with someone who wasn’t cleared and profited thereby, Hur suggested charges weren’t warranted.
The only evidence offered by Garland’s DOJ in response to repeated requests for more information has been copies of letters between Biden’s lawyers and redacted written transcripts of Biden and Zwonitzer’s interviews with Hur.
The Speaker of the House is now responsible for advancing the issue and it remains to be seen how much Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is willing to spend political capital on impeachment during an election year.
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