Representative Cline tells Newsmax that holding Garland in contempt is a “no-brainer”

Holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress “shouldn’t be a tough vote,” Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., told Newsmax on Tuesday, especially given the Biden official’s refusal to comply with a congressional subpoena to turn over President Joe Biden’s taped interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

“It was a no-brainer for all of us on Judiciary, and it should be a no-brainer for all Republicans,” Cline said during an appearance on Newsmax’s “The Chris Salcedo Show.” “You know, with a one-vote margin — actually, we just swore in a new member from Kevin McCarthy’s old district, so now we have a two-vote majority; we doubled our majority — but still, we’re in that narrow margin where it just takes two or three to sink some effort. I dare to say that there are two or three who aren’t wanting to stand up and take a vote like this, and that’s all the more reason why we should have the vote now.”

Garland appeared before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as Republicans have sought to hold him in contempt for blocking the release of the audio of Biden’s interview with Hur, which focused on the president’s handling of classified materials.

While a transcript of Biden’s interview has been made public, the president claimed executive privilege over the audio last month, saying GOP lawmakers only want the audio so they can manipulate it for political purposes.

Commenting on Garland’s refusal to comply with a lawful subpoena, Cline said “there must be something on that tape they’re trying to hide.”

“Whether it’s the length of the pauses, the stammering, the stuttering, there must be something on that tape that is just going to make the president look that much worse, if not complicit in even more guilt,” he said. “The activities that he is involved in through his son, the pay-to-play, the access — these are all things that we want information on. The Judiciary Committee’s demanded it, the attorney general’s not provided it, so we’re going to hold him accountable.”

Responding to Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Guy Reschenthaler’s comments that whipping votes to hold Garland in contempt will be difficult, Cline said, “It’s time to hold these individuals accountable.”

“I share Congressman Reschenthaler’s concerns that there are a lot of members who are not wanting or not willing to take a tough vote on this, but we need to call them to it and have the vote and see who stands with us in holding Merrick Garland in contempt and those who don’t feel that there’s been a dual standard or some ‘rules for thee, but not for me’ kind of activity,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been seeing from this attorney general, from this Justice Department, heck from this entire administration over the course of the last four years, and it’s time to hold these individuals accountable. This vote will do that, and it will also show who’s with us and who’s not.”

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