Attorney General Merrick Garland disregarded a last caution on Thursday to adhere to a subpoena requesting the audio recording of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur.
In the event that Garland failed to comply with the subpoena, he would be subjected to contempt of Congress proceedings, as stated in the letter sent by House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-KY) and Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) to Garland on April 17. On Thursday, Biden’s Justice Department responded to Comer and Jordan by declining to hand over the audio, citing a lack of “valid congressional necessity” for its release.
“If the Committees’ goal is to receive information from the Department in furtherance of your investigations, that goal has been more than met,” Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte replied Thursday. “Our cooperation has been extraordinary.”
“Despite our many requests,” he added, “the Committees have not articulated a legitimate congressional need to obtain audio recordings from Mr. Hur’s investigation, let alone one that outweighs the Department’s strong interest in protecting the confidentiality of law enforcement files.”
“Lacking a justification for complaint—never mind contempt—in the actual record, the Committees’ threats deepen our concern that you are seeking to create a false narrative of obstruction that weakens, rather than strengthens, the American people’s confidence in our government and the rule of law,” Uriarte continued.
“The Department will not shirk from our duty to protect the public’s interest in the integrity of law enforcement work. We hope you find this information helpful. Please do not hesitate to contact this office if we may provide additional assistance regarding this or any other matter,” he claimed.
