President Joe Biden has exercised executive privilege on Thursday to maintain the confidentiality of the recording of his deposition regarding the storage of classified documents at his residence. This action comes as House Republicans plan to hold two committee votes to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for his refusal to release the recording.
According to Garland, the accusation of contempt is just one in a series of unprecedented and baseless attacks on the Justice Department. He emphasized that the department carries out its investigations based on facts and the law, without any political influence.
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- 1 House GOP seeks recording of Biden deposition about classified documents
- 2 Lawmakers spar over Biden’s invocation of executive privilege
- 3 Judiciary Committee approves contempt resolution
- 4 Is invoking executive privilege rare?
- 5 Special counsel Robert Hur defended report critical of Biden’s memory
- 6 Two House panels subpoenaed AG Garland for Biden recording
- 7 Comer says recording key to weighing Biden’s fitness for office
“We have put in tremendous effort to ensure that the committees receive the answers to their valid requests,” Garland emphasized. “However, this particular request falls outside that category. On the contrary, fulfilling this request would jeopardize our ability to effectively conduct sensitive investigations in the future.”
Here’s what we have gathered about the investigation so far:
House GOP seeks recording of Biden deposition about classified documents
During his time between being vice president and president, Biden’s personal lawyers stumbled upon classified documents at his office in the Penn Biden Center in Washington. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Biden willingly granted the FBI permission to search his home in Wilmington, Delaware. It was during this search that agents discovered additional classified documents.
Former President Donald Trump, who is expected to be Joe Biden’s Republican opponent in the upcoming fall election, has made the argument that he was treated unfairly. Trump is currently facing federal charges for allegedly hoarding classified records at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, following his departure from the White House.
Biden vehemently denied any claims questioning his mental acuity. Edward Siskel, the president’s counsel, accused Republicans of pursuing the recording for political motives.
Lawmakers spar over Biden’s invocation of executive privilege
During a press conference on Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., expressed his belief that President Biden is afraid for the citizens of this country and doesn’t want everyone to hear those tapes.
According to Johnson, the American people will not have the opportunity to hear the reasons behind Special Counsel Robert Hur’s statement that the President of the United States is an elderly man with a poor memory. Johnson argued that President Biden’s choice to keep the audio recordings of the interviews hidden serves as confirmation of what the special counsel discovered. He believes that if the American people were to hear the recordings, it would likely cause them alarm.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the ranking Democrat on the committee, stated that the Justice Department has largely fulfilled congressional requests and provided a substantial amount of documents, totaling 92,000 pages, for various inquiries. Nadler emphasized that a committee vote would only serve to tarnish Garland’s reputation.
Judiciary Committee approves contempt resolution
Congress utilizes a contempt resolution as a means to urge the Justice Department to consider pressing charges against the target individual. However, it is worth noting that the department frequently dismisses such recommendations, as seen in the instances involving former attorneys general Barr and Holder.
According to Van Drew, if the commander in chief is incapable of standing trial, it indicates that he is unfit to lead the most powerful nation on Earth.
Rep. Hank Johnson, a Democrat from Georgia, stated that the decision to hold Garland in contempt arose when the committee and Hur were unable to discover any grounds for criminal charges against President Biden.
Is invoking executive privilege rare?
Two former aides of Trump, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, refused to comply with congressional subpoenas, arguing that Trump had invoked executive privilege. However, both Bannon and Navarro were found guilty of contempt. Currently, Navarro is serving a jail term, while Bannon has appealed his conviction.
Special counsel Robert Hur defended report critical of Biden’s memory
According to Hur, the explanation he provided is based on the evidence and reflects his beliefs. He states that he did not alter the information or unfairly criticize the president.
Two House panels subpoenaed AG Garland for Biden recording
Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who leads the Oversight Committee, and Jordan, R-Ohio, who heads the Judiciary Committee, have issued a subpoena to Garland for the recording of Biden’s deposition. This subpoena is in addition to the transcript that has already been released.
Uriarte wrote a letter to the committees, reiterating the Department’s stance that sharing sensitive law enforcement information with Congress could potentially hinder their ability to carry out investigations and prosecutions. This includes obtaining cooperation from witnesses and targets.
Comer says recording key to weighing Biden’s fitness for office
According to Comer, the situation at the White House can be compared to a five-alarm fire. He suggests that President Biden and his advisers are hesitant to release the audio recordings of his interview, as it would further confirm the decline in his mental state to the American people.
