House Republicans vote to advance contempt proceedings against Merrick Garland

May 16 (UPI) -- The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to advance a resolution holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to turn over audio recordings of President Joe Biden 's interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

The House Judiciary Committee voted 18-15 to advance the proceedings.

The resolution paves the way for a full House vote on holding Garland in contempt, though its unclear when that vote would take place.

The House Oversight Committee is expected to vote on the issue Thursday evening.

The move follows Biden's decision Thursday morning to assert executive privilege to block House Republicans from getting the audio recordings of his interview with Hur over his handling of classified documents.

The White House and the Justice Department informed the House of Biden's decision in a pair of letters Thursday, with Deputy Attorney General Carlos Uriarte writing that the move by the president effectively bars efforts from Republican lawmakers to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress.

"The attorney general must draw a line that safeguards the Department from improper political influence and protects our principles, our law enforcement work and the people who carry out that work independently without fear or favor," Uriarte wrote. "The committees seek to hold the attorney general in contempt not for failing in his duties, but for upholding them.

Biden had previously waived executive privilege to block the release of the transcripts of his interview with Hur as well as details of the report.

The move to exert the privilege, at Garland's request, came just hours before the House Oversight Committee was to begin the process to hold Garland in contempt for withholding the audio recordings.

"The Committees' needs are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that productions of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future," Garland wrote to Biden on Wednesday.

In a letter to House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Chair Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, White House Counsel Edward Siskel said the House's intent to start contempt proceedings against Garland undermines Justice Department independence.

"Rather than demonstrating respect for the rule of law, this contempt proceeding is just the latest in the Committees' damaging efforts to undermine the very independence and impartiality of the Department of Justice and criminal justice system that President Biden seeks to protect," Siskel wrote.

"The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes . Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate."

Special Counsel Hur decided not to charge Biden for possessing classified documents while Biden was out of office.

In his report, Hur wrote that he declined to prosecute Biden, but found that the president "willfully retained and disclosed classified materials" after leaving the vice presidency.

Hur also referred to Biden in the report as a "well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory."

Biden strongly objected to that characterization.

"I am well-meaning," Biden said. "And I'm an elderly man. And I know what the hell I'm doing. ... I don't need his recommendation."