Staff Reports
House Republicans are taking steps to ensure that Attorney General Merrick Garland is held accountable for his actions. The impeachment investigators have been working diligently to obtain an audio recording from special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden, but Garland has been refusing to comply with their demands. The House Judiciary Committee is planning to discuss holding Garland in contempt of Congress, and Representative Anna Paulina Luna from Florida has put forward her own resolution to hold Garland in inherent contempt.
House GOP takes competing paths to hold Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress https://t.co/NRBOA9H6L9 via @dcexaminer
— Sorgatoni (@Sorghaghtani) May 9, 2024
According to Luna, Garland’s refusal to turn over the subpoenaed information is a direct threat to our constitutional republic. The resolution she proposed aims to remind the Department of Justice that it is not above the law and to reemphasize Congress’s role in enforcing subpoenas. This is an important step in ensuring that the powers of Congress are respected and upheld.
The House Judiciary Committee is set to hold a meeting and a committee vote on the matter on May 16. Luna’s resolution differs from the committee’s methods in the process in which the contempt resolution is considered. Luna’s resolution relies on a long-dormant contempt power that allows the House to detain and imprison someone until compliance with the congressional demand, a process that has not been used since 1935.
If Luna’s resolution is approved by the committee and the full House, it would allow for the arrest and trial of Garland, and he could be imprisoned or detained in the Capitol. On the other hand, the committee’s contempt resolution would result in a criminal referral to the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., and it is unlikely that this would lead to any criminal proceedings for Garland.
The Department of Justice has contested the legitimacy of the committee’s efforts and warned that releasing the audio would have a chilling effect on witnesses coming forward to law enforcement. However, House Republicans claim that Garland has refused to comply with the subpoenas and has hindered the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry in the process.
House Republicans are determined to ensure that Garland is held accountable for his actions, and they are taking the necessary steps to make that happen. It is important for the Department of Justice to respect the powers of Congress and to comply with lawful subpoenas. Garlands actions have raised serious concerns, and it is crucial that the appropriate actions are taken to address them.
