House Republicans are ready to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt over Biden audio

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans plan to move forward next week with holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for his refusal to turn over the unredacted audio of an interview that was conducted as part of the special counsel probe into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents.

The House Judiciary Committee is set to convene on May 16 to advance contempt charges against the Cabinet official, according to a person familiar with the matter who was granted anonymity to discuss plans not yet made public. The resolution would then go to the full House for a vote.

The contempt proceedings are just the latest flare-up in the increasingly tense relationship between Republicans and the Justice Department. House Republicans last month threatened to hold Garland in contempt for refusing to fully comply with a congressional subpoena issued as part their probe into Special Counsel Robert Hur’s decision not to charge the president with any crimes.

Republicans — led by Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and James Comer of Kentucky — had ordered the department to turn over audio of Hur’s interviews with Biden by early April. But the Justice Department only turned over some of the records, excluding the audio interview with the president. They warned of the precedent that would be set for future investigations if the audio was provided.

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