House Republicans took the largely symbolic step of holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress, dramatically escalating their fight with the Justice Department. There was skepticism hours before the 216-207 vote about whether GOP leaders would be able to lock down the near unity required. All but one Republican voted to refer the attorney general to the DOJ for prosecution. Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) said, “As a former prosecutor, I cannot in good conscience support a resolution that would further politicize our judicial system to score political points ... Enough is enough," reports Politico. Garland is the first person held in contempt since Republicans took control of the House last year. The resolution cites his refusal to hand over audio of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating Biden’s mishandling of classified documents.
“It is deeply disappointing that this House of Representatives has turned a serious congressional authority into a partisan weapon. Today’s vote disregards the constitutional separation of powers, the Justice Department’s need to protect its investigations, and the substantial amount of information we have provided to the Committees," Garland said after the vote. In a court filing, DOJ officials aired concerns that releasing it to the public would make it easier to manipulate the audio or create deep fakes — a fear raised by congressional Democrats who worried Republicans wanted the audio to splice it into campaign ads. Biden reportedly had trouble remembering key details, prompting Hur to write that a jury would see Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” The White House said that description was inaccurate and improper to include.
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