(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Attorney General Merrick Garland could face arrest by the House Sergeant at Arms after refusing to hand over potentially incriminating audio of President Joe Biden’s deposition.
This potential arrest has led Garland to reach out to Republicans to thwart the “inherent contempt” push led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.
The DOJ recently refused to prosecute Garland on contempt of Congress charges passed by the House last week.
On Friday, Fox News reporter Chad Pergram tweeted that Garland “has reached out to moderate Republicans, pushing them to reject inherent contempt.”
In response, Luna scolded Garland for believing he is “above the law,” labeling his calls to Republicans as “the very definition of corruption.”
In a press statement, Luna said, “He believes he is above the law and can tell elected members of Congress what to do. My message to Garland is straightforward: release the tapes to Congress and let us listen to them.”
Garland is now calling Republican members of congress pressuring them to NOT vote for inherent contempt.
This is the definition of corruption. He thinks he is above the law and can tell members of congress what to do.
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) June 21, 2024
Inherent contempt is a tool that allows the House sergeant at arms to arrest individuals for violations of congressional proceedings, such as contempt, obstruction of justice or disobedience of a court order.
The dispute centers on audio of Biden’s deposition with Special Counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden’s mishandling of classified documents from his time as vice president.
House Republicans are seeking the audio’s release after Hur declined to file criminal charges against Biden, citing his age and incoherent thoughts during the deposition.
According to Hur, a jury would likely sympathize with the 81-year-old president and refuse to convict him.
Republicans argue that the audio would provide insight into Biden’s thinking and help determine his fitness to govern.
Despite public interest and subpoenas, the DOJ advised Biden to invoke executive privilege to block the release of the audio.
As a result, Republicans voted to hold Garland in contempt of Congress—charges the DOJ refused to prosecute.
“Why is Merrick Garland fighting so hard to keep these tapes hidden? What is on those tapes that is making him act in a criminal manner to protect Joe Biden?” Luna asked in her press release.
“Any other American would be in jail for what he is doing. This blatant abuse of power must be stopped. The American people deserve integrity in our institutions, not political corruption,” Luna added.
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) June 14, 2024
