Staff Reports
In yet another episode of political theater, House Judiciary Committee Republicans have taken a firm step towards holding President Biden’s ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, in contempt of Congress. The committee’s vote, predictably split along party lines, aims to compel Zwonitzer to stop playing hide and seek with crucial records.
Chairman Jim Jordan, the Indiana Jones of modern politics, has been on the hunt since March, demanding transcripts and recordings of interviews Zwonitzer conducted with Biden for his memoirs. This isn’t some wild goose chase, either. It’s all tied to an investigation by Special Counsel Robert Hur into Biden’s seemingly reckless mishandling of classified documents. Hur’s report painted a picture of a president too old to remember where he left his classified keys, evading prosecution with an “oops, my bad” excuse.
House Republicans vote to hold Biden ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer in contempt of Congresshttps://t.co/RmLu5VpIg5 pic.twitter.com/x27RPsZNDw
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) June 28, 2024
The report spilled the beans: Biden, cozy in his den with a personal notebook, read classified tidbits to Zwonitzer. If that wasn’t a security breach, then pigs must be flying over the White House. To make matters juicier, Zwonitzer allegedly played a game of cloak-and-dagger, hiding recordings and transcripts from the ever-watchful eyes of investigators once the probe began. Biden, doing his best impression of Captain Oblivious, denies sharing anything top-secret with his writer.
Republican lawmakers are pounding the gavel, arguing that Zwonitzer’s cat-and-mouse antics are disrupting their oversight of Hur’s findings. It’s a matter of principle: is the Justice Department acting impartially, and how deep does Biden’s mishandling and leaking of classified stuff really run? Zwonitzer’s refusal to hand over the requested docs keeps him front and center in this gripping saga.
This move follows a string of GOP-led subpoenas for materials tied to Hur’s eyebrow-raising report. Despite the serious revelations, the Justice Department seems to have developed a sudden allergy to prosecuting their own. Attorney General Merrick Garland found himself in the crosshairs for not coughing up audio between Biden and Hur. When House Republicans voted earlier to hold Garland in contempt, the Justice Department responded with a dismissive shrug, choosing not to prosecute.
It’s shaping up to be a prolonged tug-of-war punctuated by subpoenas, refusals, and the occasional contempt charge. Meanwhile, the American public is left wondering if accountability will come knocking on the doors of the powerful anytime soon. Just another day in the swamp, where transparency takes a backseat, and political maneuvering drives the narrative.
