Attorney General Merrick Garland announced this week that he would refuse to comply with subpoenas from Congressional Republicans that he finds disagreeable.
Garland’s declaration followed Republican leaders in Congress threatening to hold him in contempt as they seek access to audio recordings from special counsel Robert K. Hur’s investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified materials, according to the Washington Post.
Garland reportedly asked the president to declare executive privilege over the recordings, expressing concern that their release could hinder future efforts to get officials to cooperate with investigations and participate in recorded interviews, according to the Post.
Testifying before the House Judiciary Committee this week, Garland accused Republicans of “seeking contempt as a means of obtaining — for no legitimate purpose — sensitive law enforcement information that could harm the integrity of future investigations. This effort is only the most recent in a long line of attacks on the Justice Department’s work.”
Republicans responded by accusing Garland of using the Department of Justice as a political tool, highlighting the recent indictments of former President Trump and his recent conviction by a Manhattan jury on 34 felony counts.
Although the White House has provided transcripts of Biden’s interviews, in which Hur described the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory” in his report, Republicans argue that the audio recordings could offer additional context.
“Substantively, the transcript may be accurate, but, you know what, the audio would tell us so much more,” said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ).
During the same hearing, Garland said that he “will not be intimidated” by threats of contempt.
“I view contempt as a serious matter. But I will not jeopardize the ability of our prosecutors and agents to do their jobs effectively in future investigations. I will not be intimidated. And the Justice Department will not be intimidated. We will continue to do our jobs free from political influence, and we will not back down from defending democracy,” he stated.
