If Attorney General Merrick Garland continues to not turn over unredacted materials that are related to the probe conducted by a special counsel into how President Joe Biden mishandled classified documents, then he could be held in contempt of Congress.
The Associated Press obtained a letter sent Monday by Republican Representatives Jim Jordan and James Comer that demanded Garland comply with a subpoena they sent him in February. That probe began after Robert Hur, the special counsel overseeing the investigation, decided not to bring criminal charges against Biden.
The two powerful Republican members of the House ordered the Department of Justice to turn over unredacted transcripts and audio clips of the interviews that Hur conducted with the president and his ghostwriter. The deadline they set for Garland to comply is April 8.
Jordan chairs the Judiciary Committee, while Comer chairs the Oversight Committee.
As they wrote in their letter:
“If you fail to do so (comply), the Committees will consider taking further action, such as the invocation of contempt of Congress proceedings.”
The DOJ reacted to that letter on Monday, saying they have “been extraordinarily transparent with Congress” throughout the entire process.
In a statement issued to the AP, a spokesperson for the DOJ, Emma Dulaney, said:
“The Attorney General released Mr. Hur’s report to Congress and made no redactions or changes, the Department provided documents to Congress including a copy of the President’s interview transcript, and Mr. Hur testified before Congress for more than five hours about his investigation.
“Given the Department’s ongoing and extensive cooperation, we hope they will reconsider this unnecessary escalation.”
Two weeks ago, Hur sat for a long interrogation in front of Congress, answering multiple questions about the report he issued. That report questioned the mental competence and age of the president, though it recommended that no charges be filed against Biden.
During his testimony, Hur said he didn’t find sufficient evidence to be able to make a strong enough case that would withstand challenges in court. As he said:
“What I wrote is what I believe the evidence shows, and what I expect jurors would perceive and believe. I did not sanitize my explanation. Nor did I disparage the president unfairly.”
Regardless of those comments, there have been no shortage of criticisms thrown Hur’s way — from both Democrats and Republicans alike.
Republicans are angry that no criminal charges were brought against Biden while former President Donald Trump is facing four felony charges for a similar offense.
Democrats, meanwhile, weren’t happy about the commentary Hur added to the report, which suggested that Biden had a poor memory and might not be competent to serve.
Jordan, Comer and many other Republicans have said for a while now that Biden got preferential treatment compared to Trump in regard to DOJ investigations into how both handled classified documents.
California Representative Tom McClintock recently said it was a “glaring double standard.” As he said to Hur during the hearing:
“Donald Trump’s being prosecuted for exactly the same act that you documented Joe Biden committed.”
