BREAKING: House Judiciary Votes to Recommend AG Merrick Garland Be Charged With Contempt of Congress

On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee voted to approve a resolution that recommends filing Contempt of Congress charges against Attorney General Merrick Garland, according to a statement by Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan (R) on X.  

🚨 #BREAKING: @Jim_Jordan Releases Report Recommending that the House of Representatives Cite AG Merrick Garland for Contempt of Congress

Read here: https://t.co/3em14Dby4e

— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) May 13, 2024

According to the resolution, the committee found that Garland repeatedly failed to produce documents, records, and materials that it had subpoenaed.  

In the weeks following the February 5, 2024, release of Special Counsel Robert K. Hur’s report, the three House Committees conducting an impeachment inquiry to determine whether to draft articles of impeachment against President Joseph R. Biden engaged with the Department of Justice to obtain a limited set of documents and records related to the report. After the Department declined to provide the Committees with the relevant documents and records, the Committee on the Judiciary (“Judiciary Committee”) and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability (“Oversight Committee”) issued identical subpoenas on February 27, 2024, to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland compelling production of four specific categories of documents and records, including audio and video recordings of Special Counsel Hur’s interviews with President Biden and his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer. The Judiciary Committee subpoenaed these materials for several reasons—including to determine whether sufficient grounds exist to draft articles of impeachment against President Biden for consideration by the full House of Representatives and to determine if legislation is needed to codify procedures governing the Department’s special counsel investigations or to strengthen the Department’s commitment to impartial justice. To date, the Department has refused to produce the audio recordings, despite not having invoked any privilege to justify its failure to comply with the subpoena. 

The resolution details that in the two months since the official requests and subpoenas were sent out, the Justice Department, led by Garland, has only sent out five letters from President Joe Biden’s administration and little else. 

The Department has produced only five letters from President Biden’s White House and personal counsel to the Department, one letter from the Department to President Biden’s White House and personal counsel, redacted transcripts of Special Counsel Hur’s two interviews with President Biden, and redacted transcripts of Special Counsel Hur’s two interviews with Zwonitzer. Additionally, the Department has made available two classified documents in camera to the Committees.

Noting that Garland has at no time invoked any constitutional or legal privilege to withhold any documents and/or cooperation with the lawful subpoena, the committee recommended the charges.

This is a breaking news story, details will be added when they become available.