House GOP prepares alternative paths to gain Hur audio if Garland contempt effort fails
By
Rachel Schilke
May 18, 2024 2:24 pm
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The House is poised to vote on two contempt resolutions against Attorney General Merrick Garland as early as next week, but Republicans are already preparing alternatives if the Justice Department declines to bring criminal charges against its leader.
Both the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees passed the measures on Thursday that hold Garland in contempt of Congress for not turning over the audio recording from President Joe Biden‘s interview with special counsel Robert Hur despite handing over the transcript from the conversation. The measures now head to the House floor for a full vote as early as Tuesday, when the chamber is back in session.
When the bill comes to the floor is unknown, but it is up to House GOP leadership to schedule the vote. The Washington Examiner reached out to Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) for comment.
The contempt resolution against Garland is part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Biden, whom Republicans claim improperly benefitted from his family members’ foreign business dealings. So far, they have provided little to no evidence of these allegations.
A vote on the contempt resolution is Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) next hurdle to overcome as he tries to navigate a one-seat majority and a small group of hard-line conservatives who have pushed back against his leadership since he took the gavel. Johnson recently survived a motion to vacate effort, after House Democrats joined most Republicans to table the motion to oust him.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/3008247/contempt-congress-garland-hur-audio-house-gop/
