Staff Reports
House Republicans are gearing up to give Merrick Garland a taste of old-school accountability. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida has set her sights on holding the Attorney General in inherent contempt for his refusal to release the Biden audio tapes, from an interview conducted by Special Counsel Robert Hur. Hur was looking into allegations that President Biden mishandled classified information. While evidence suggests Biden mishandled these docs, Hur decided not to charge him, citing Biden’s age and memory issues as mitigating factors. Sounds like a get-out-of-jail-free card, courtesy of the age clause.
The House wasn’t too pleased about Garland withholding those tapes and accused him of contempt. However, the Biden Justice Department swooped in with a memo shielding Garland from prosecution. This essentially declared that only Biden and his officials could dodge the legal bullet, leaving one to wonder who’s next to join their elite club. Rep. Luna aims to crank up the pressure by invoking “inherent contempt,” a power Congress hasn’t flexed since the 1930s. This maneuver would bypass the DOJ entirely, handing the task over to the House Sergeant at Arms to arrest and detain Garland until he coughs up the audio files.
1) House sources are expecting Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) to force a vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in “inherent contempt” of Congress sometime in the middle of next week. Fox is told the vote likely comes Wednesday or Thursday.
What is “inherent contempt?”…
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 21, 2024
The last time this kind of drama unfolded, a Commerce Department official in 1934 found himself detained in a hotel for ten days. Democrats are expected to try and squash this resolution to protect their golden goose. Nevertheless, one senior House Republican admitted the votes might not be there to pull it off, hinting at underlying battles over internal rule adjustments and privileged resolutions.
“Inherent contempt” means playing hardball—the House authorizes detention without needing the DOJ to intervene. House Sergeant at Arms Bill McFarland and his team would do the honors of arresting Garland. This move could create an unprecedented standoff between Congress and the Executive Branch. Picture Garland escorted by armed FBI agents against House lawmen – a TV drama in the making, but don’t hold your breath waiting for Senate approval.
Amidst all the hoopla, the transcript of Biden’s audiotape interview is already public, making Luna’s tactic a head-scratcher for many. What is Biden’s camp trying to hide? His personal attorney, Bob Bauer, only muddied the waters further by claiming inconsistencies between the transcript and his memory of events. This highlights another aspect of Biden’s declining faculties, which the administration and media want to cover up. Ain’t it convenient?
Garland has persistently ignored congressional subpoenas, comfortably nesting behind the claim that they’re too partisan. In plain English, his excuse boils down to “I don’t have to listen if I don’t want to.” So here’s the takeaway: if Republicans want justice served, it looks like they’ll need to get a new president who doesn’t treat the rule of law like an inconvenience.
