Contempt Vote on Attorney General Garland at Risk of Being Cancelled

A potential House vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress may be postponed due to lack of support from Republican lawmakers, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The vote, which was expected to take place as early as Wednesday, is in response to Garland’s refusal to release audiotapes of President Joe Biden’s interview with former Special Counsel Robert Hur. However, GOP leadership is considering pulling the vote if there are not enough Republican votes to pass it, given the narrow majority of the party, as reported by Axios.

Concerns have been raised among Republican members that failing to hold the contempt vote or having it rejected could hinder their efforts to obtain the tapes through legal means.

In May, the House Oversight and Accountability and Judiciary committees approved resolutions finding Garland in contempt of Congress for defying subpoenas related to Hur’s investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents during his time as vice president.

The committees are requesting the audio recordings of the interviews with President Biden and his ghostwriter, along with other documents.

While Hur’s report in March concluded that Biden should not face criminal charges for mishandling sensitive information due to cognitive issues, moderate Republicans are hesitant about holding the attorney general in contempt, fearing potential backlash in their districts ahead of the upcoming November elections.