(LibertySociety.com) – President Biden used his power of executive privilege on May 16 in an attempt to quash contempt proceedings by the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees against Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The controversial AG has refused to turn over subpoenaed documents related to Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. The committees only received the transcripts of audio recordings from Hur’s interviews with Mark Zwonitzer, Biden’s ghostwriter, and President Biden himself.
In a letter to the committees, Assistant AG Carlos Uriarte claimed that Biden’s executive privilege assertion shielded Garland from prosecution. The letter did not stop committee chairs James Comer, R-Ky., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, from proceeding with the hearings. The Judiciary Committee previously conveyed that the audio recordings and other documents were needed “to determine whether sufficient grounds exist” to impeach Biden. Comer said that the “Hail Mary from the White House” did not affect the committee’s plans and vowed to pass its resolution to recommend a full House vote to hold Garland in contempt.
Comer said that Biden was afraid of the ramifications of releasing the audio recordings for public listening because it would prove that he was unfit for office. Comer argued that Biden’s executive privilege waiver for the transcripts of the interviews also applied to the audio recordings. Far-left radical Democrat and ranking member of the Oversight Committee, Jamie Raskin, D-Md., cried foul on the Republicans’ reasonings when he told one media outlet that they did not need the audio to produce an impeachable offense.
Uriarte advised the committees to change their minds about moving forward to prevent conflict. He argued that Biden’s privilege claim over the recordings and any outstanding subpoenaed materials were now impossible to obtain. Uriarte also wrote that the audio recordings would reveal tactics used by law enforcement during interviews. He suggested that the committees’ unrelenting demands brought forth concerns regarding the separation of powers. Both committees ultimately voted to advance the resolutions and a full House vote is expected soon.
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