AG Garland refusing to comply with subpoenas demanding Biden interview recordings
House preparing to vote on contempt of Congress charge against AG Merrick Garland
Justice Department has made transcripts public, but Republicans want recordings for mental fitness examination
In a notable turn of events, the House of Representatives is preparing to vote on holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress due to his refusal to comply with subpoenas demanding audio recordings of President Joe Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur. The Justice Department has already made public the transcripts from the interview, but Republicans argue they need the recordings to examine President Biden's mental fitness.
The vote comes after a report by Special Counsel Robert Hur concluded that no criminal charges were warranted against President Biden in relation to his handling of classified documents. However, a single line from the report suggesting that Mr. Biden might be an
The US House of Representatives will vote on whether to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress.
Garland has refused to turn over interview tapes from a justice department probe of President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents.
A report on the inquiry called Garland’s memory into question.
If Garland is held in contempt, the House will recommend that the justice department makes a decision on whether or not to criminally prosecute him.
Attorney Generals William Barr and Eric Holder, who respectively served the preceding Republican and Democratic administrations, were also held in contempt of Congress along partisan lines. Neither faced criminal charges.
The effort to hold Garland in contempt stems from a 345-page report released by Special Counsel Robert Hur, which concluded that no criminal charges were warranted against President Biden.
Garland has provided congressional Republicans with a full transcript of the interview but resisted subpoenas demanding audio recordings of the conversation.
President Biden invoked executive privilege to block congressional Republicans from accessing tapes of the interview, arguing that turning them over could ‘chill cooperation with the department in future investigations’.
Accuracy
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Deception
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The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the author's position. The author states 'Republicans argue he is hiding the best evidence' without providing any context or evidence to support this claim. Additionally, the author uses emotional manipulation by implying that Democrats are desperate and feeding their base, which is a biased and unprofessional statement.
Democrats have countered that interview transcripts are already publicly available. They claim critics of the president are ‘desperate’
Republicans argued he was hiding ‘the best evidence’
House Republicans are preparing to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress as early as Wednesday.
The Department of Justice refused to hand over recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur.
Democratic lawmakers have echoed the DOJ’s sentiments, stating that there is no evidence supporting accusations that Biden abused his public office for his family’s foreign business dealings.
Accuracy
The Department of Justice refused to hand over recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated whether Biden mishandled classified documents.
Republicans’ contempt effort may face challenges due to the razor-thin majority in the House and potential opposition from moderate GOP lawmakers.
The DOJ argued that sharing the audio recordings could endanger future investigations and has asserted executive privilege over the audio.
The House is voting on a contempt resolution against Attorney General Merrick Garland for refusing to turn over audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur.
If the contempt resolution passes, House Speaker Mike Johnson would certify the report to the United States attorney for the District of Columbia, who must then bring the matter before the grand jury for its action.
Republican efforts to hold Garland in contempt are seen as an attempt to appease former President Donald Trump and distract from his own conviction and indictments.
The Justice Department has stood by its decision not to release the audio files of the interviews, arguing that Republicans have not established a legitimate legislative purpose for demanding them and that releasing such an audio file could dissuade cooperation from future witnesses in criminal investigations.
Without supplying evidence to support his claims, House Republican Comer argued that part of the reason Republicans need the audio files is to determine whether the transcripts have been altered. He claimed it is ‘insufficient to simply take the Justice Department at its word.’
House GOP leadership said they were confident they have the votes in their narrow majority to hold Garland in contempt, but a handful of House Republicans have privately voiced concerns about supporting the contempt resolution.
Accuracy
The Biden administration has grilled Republicans about their motives for seeking the audio files.
Deception
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The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the authors' position of the contempt resolution against Attorney General Merrick Garland. The authors quote Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar stating that the Republican effort to hold Garland in contempt is an attempt to appease former president Donald Trump and distract from his own legal issues, but they do not provide any counterargument or reporting on the other side of the issue. Additionally, there are emotional manipulation tactics used through phrases such as 'rising baseless, personal and dangerous attacks on the Justice Department' in a quote from Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The Republican effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress is a way of appeasing former president Donald Trump and distracting from his own legal issues, Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar said Wednesday.
rising baseless, personal and dangerous attacks on the Justice Department have become dangerous for our democracy.
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The article contains some inflammatory rhetoric and appeals to authority, but no formal fallacies are present. The authors report on the situation without making any unfounded claims or false assertions.
Holding the nation’s top law enforcement officer in contempt would build on Republican allegations that the Justice Department has been weaponized against conservatives, claims that have been particularly ratcheted up in the wake of former President Donald Trump’s conviction in New York for falsifying business records.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is vowing to force a vote on Attorney General Merrick Garland's arrest if the Department of Justice (DOJ) fails to act on a criminal contempt resolution backed by House GOP leaders.
Luna plans to force a vote on her 'Anna Paulina Luna for Congress Act'
Accuracy
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is vowing to force a vote on Attorney General Merrick Garland's arrest if the Department of Justice (DOJ) fails to act on a criminal contempt resolution
The House will recommend that the justice department makes a decision on whether or not to criminally prosecute Garland if he is held in contempt
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
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The article contains one informal fallacy: appeal to authority. The author quotes Rep. Anna Paulina Luna making a statement about the Department of Justice (DOJ) and its handling of subpoenas, stating 'I don't think the American people do either.' This is an appeal to authority as it implies that because the American people may not trust the DOJ, their opinion should be taken as fact.
House Republicans planned to vote on holding Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas demanding audio recordings of President Biden’s interview with the special counsel investigating his handling of classified documents.
Justice Department has already made public a transcript of President Biden’s interview with the special counsel, Robert K. Hur.
Republicans argue they need the recordings to examine the president’s mental fitness.
Accuracy
House Republicans planned to vote on holding Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas demanding audio recordings of President Biden’s interview with the special counsel, while Justice Department has already made public a transcript of President Biden’s interview with the special counsel, Robert K. Hur.
Justice Department under Biden has cooperated more extensively with requests from Republican lawmakers than it did under Trump administration.
