WASHINGTON (AP) — The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to appoint Attorney General Merrick Garland. Disrespect for Parliament For refusing to provide audio President Joe Biden’s classified interview The lawsuit marks the latest and strongest rebuke by Republicans to the Justice Department as partisan divisions over the rule of law animate the 2024 presidential campaign.
The vote was 216-207 along party lines, with Republicans standing firm in their support of the insults despite concerns from some of their more moderate members, with only one Republican, Representative David Joyce of Ohio, voting no.
“It is disappointing to see the House of Representatives turn a critical congressional power into a partisan weapon. Today’s vote ignores the Constitution’s separation of powers, the need for investigative protections for the Department of Justice, and the vast amount of information I have provided to the Committee,” Garland said in a statement late Wednesday.
“I will always defend this department, its employees and its important mission of protecting our democracy,” he added.
Garland would become the third attorney general to be charged with contempt of Congress, but it is unlikely that the Justice Department, which he oversees, will prosecute him. The White House’s decision to use executive privilege to hide the audio recordings from Congress would make it extremely difficult to bring a criminal case against Garland.
Nevertheless, Speaker Mike Johnson defended the decision to go ahead with what is now a largely symbolic effort.
“We got our job done on the contempt charge, and that sends an important message,” the Louisiana Republican said after the vote. “I don’t know what happens next, but the House has to do its job, and I’m pleased with today’s result.”
The White House and congressional Democrats have blasted Republican motives for pursuing the contempt charges, dismissing the GOP effort to obtain the audio as purely political and pointing out that Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, ignored subpoenas during the last Congress.
“This contempt resolution will do little other than tarnish Merrick Garland’s reputation. No matter what Republicans say today, he will remain a good and upstanding public servant,” Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, the Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, said during floor debate.
Garland defended the Justice Department, saying officials went to extraordinary lengths to provide the committee with information about special counsel Robert McClellan. Har An investigation into classified documents, including transcripts of interviews between Biden and Trump.
“There has been a string of unprecedented and, frankly, baseless attacks on the Department of Justice,” Garland said at a news conference last month. “This request — an attempt to use contempt to obtain classified law enforcement files — is the latest in a series of attacks.”
The Republican Party said that Hoare Refused to prosecute The Department of Justice immediately launched an investigation, criticizing Biden for his handling of classified documents. Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Jordan and Rep. James Comer, sent subpoenas seeking audio of Heo’s interview with Biden in the spring. However, the Department of Justice only turned over some of the records, and did not turn over the audio of the interview with the president.
On the final day to respond to Republican subpoenas for the audio, the White House invoked executive privilege to block their release, saying Republicans in Congress only wanted to “slic and dice” the recordings and use them for political purposes.
Executive privilege gives the president the right to withhold information from the courts, Congress and the public to protect the confidentiality of his decision-making, but it could be challenged in court.
Administrations of both parties have long maintained that officials who assert presidential executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for contempt of Congress, Justice Department officials told Republican lawmakers last month.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte cited the committee’s 2008 decision to drop a contempt case after President George W. Bush used executive privilege to block Congress from obtaining records related to Vice President Dick Cheney.
Before Garland, the last attorney general to be held in contempt of court was Bill Barr in 2019, when the Democratic-controlled House voted to issue a criminal complaint against Barr after he refused to turn over documents related to the special counsel’s investigation into President Trump.
A few years earlier, then-Attorney General Eric Holder Fast and FuriousIn neither of these cases did the Department of Justice take any action against the Attorney General.
Special Counsel Harr, who is handling Biden’s case, said the president Improper storage of confidential documentsThe investigation into Biden from his time as a senator and vice president resulted in a 345-page report that raised questions about Biden’s age and mental competency but recommended not filing criminal charges against the 81-year-old. Heo said he determined there was insufficient evidence to prosecute in court.
In March, Heo stood by his assessment of no indictment during testimony before the Judiciary Committee, and was grilled for more than four hours by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers.
His defense has not convinced Republicans, who have argued there is a politically motivated double standard in the Justice Department’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump for allegedly storing classified documents at a Florida club after he left the White House.
But there are key differences between the two investigations: Biden’s team returned the documents after they were discovered, and the president cooperated with the investigation by voluntarily giving interviews and consenting to a search of his home.
In contrast, Trump enlisted the help of aides and lawyers to conceal documents from the government. It may be evidence of guilt It was destroyed.
__ Associated Press writers Kevin Freaking and Alana Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
