House Judiciary Republicans to vote on holding Garland in contempt over Biden-Hur recording: Report

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee are reportedly planning to vote on whether to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress next week, if he does not produce the audio recording of former special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden.

Hur interviewed the president multiple times last October, and brought no criminal referrals or charges against Biden in his report in February. But Hur expressed concerns over Biden's mental capabilities, which has spurred Republican lawmakers to seek more information ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

A source told Politico on Monday that the committee is expected to hold a vote on whether to hold Garland in contempt on May 16, but the referral would still need to pass the full House in order to go to the Justice Department.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer have threatened to hold Garland in contempt if the Justice Department fails to produce the audio recording of the interview. But the Justice Department has rebuffed recent attempts to secure the recording, arguing that they have not seen "legitimate congressional need to obtain audio recordings from Mr. Hur’s investigation."

The DOJ has provided the House with a transcribed copy of the interview, but the lawmakers believe the audio recording will give them a better insight into the president's responses.

Hur previously said that he does not have an opinion on whether Congress should receive the audio recordings, per NBC News.

“It is not for me to weigh into what information Congress should or should not have,” Hur said at a congressional hearing, adding: “The audio recordings were part of the evidence, of course, that I considered in coming to my conclusions.”

The Justice Department has not commented on the potential contempt referral.