{"id":2247586,"date":"2024-05-18T14:35:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T18:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-prepares-alternative-paths-to-gain-hur-audio-if-garland-contempt-effort-fails\/"},"modified":"2024-05-18T14:38:02","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T18:38:02","slug":"house-gop-prepares-alternative-paths-to-gain-hur-audio-if-garland-contempt-effort-fails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-gop-prepares-alternative-paths-to-gain-hur-audio-if-garland-contempt-effort-fails\/","title":{"rendered":"House GOP plans backup routes for obtaining Hur audio if Garland contempt push falls through"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhouse-gop-prepares-alternative-paths-to-gain-hur-audio-if-garland-contempt-effort-fails%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2247586&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The House is set to vote on contempt\u2064 resolutions against Attorney General Merrick Garland. Republicans are preparing for alternatives if the Justice Department doesn&#8217;t press charges. A standoff over an\u2064 audio recording from President Joe Biden&#8217;s interview with Robert\u2064 Hur \u200chas\u2062 led to further scrutiny. \u2062Executive privilege claims and potential legal\u200b battles loom as the\u200b political \u2064divide deepens. The House plans to vote on contempt resolutions targeting Attorney General Merrick Garland. Republicans are \u2064readying backup options if charges are not pursued by the Justice Department.\u200c Tensions rise over the audio\u2062 recording from President Joe \u200dBiden&#8217;s \u200binterview with Robert Hur, sparking debates on executive privilege and potential legal conflicts amidst escalating political tensions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House<\/a> is poised to vote on two contempt resolutions against Attorney General <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/merrick-garland\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Merrick Garland<\/a> as early as next week, but Republicans are already preparing alternatives if the Justice Department declines to bring criminal charges against its leader.<\/p>\n<p>Both the <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-judiciary-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House Judiciary<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-oversight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Oversight<\/a> Committees passed the measures on Thursday that hold Garland in contempt of Congress for not turning over the audio recording from President <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a>\u2018s interview with special counsel <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/robert-k-hur\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Robert Hur<\/a> despite handing over the transcript from the conversation. The measures now head to the House floor for a full vote as early as Tuesday, when the chamber is back in session.<\/p>\n<p>When the bill comes to the floor is unknown, but it is up to House GOP leadership to schedule the vote. The <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> reached out to Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The contempt resolution against Garland is part of a larger impeachment inquiry into Biden, whom Republicans claim improperly benefitted from his family members\u2019 foreign business dealings. So far, they have provided little to no evidence of these allegations.<\/p>\n<p>A vote on the contempt resolution is Speaker Mike Johnson\u2019s (R-LA) next hurdle to overcome as he tries to navigate a one-seat majority and a small group of hard-line conservatives who have pushed back against his leadership since he took the gavel. Johnson recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/2973122\/marjorie-taylor-greene-moves-oust-johnson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>survived a motion to vacate effort<\/a>, after House Democrats joined most Republicans to table the motion to oust him.<\/p>\n<p>Even with a one-seat majority, Johnson has a larger numbers problem: Many of his GOP members represent Biden districts or are centrist Republicans fighting in competitive primaries and general elections this November. A lawmaker told <em>Axios<\/em> in February that there are already \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2024\/02\/23\/impeachment-biden-gop-republicans-vote\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">easily 40-50<\/a>\u201d Republicans who are likely to vote against the impeachment.<\/p>\n<p>If the resolutions somehow pass the full House, a criminal referral will then be made to the U.S. attorney\u2019s office in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Washington-DC\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Washington, D.C.<\/a>, which must then weigh whether to move forward with prosecution. However, it is unlikely to result in any criminal proceedings for Garland, who heads the DOJ.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Republicans prepare a backup plan<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Ahead of Thursday\u2019s contempt markups, the Justice Department announced Thursday morning that the president was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3006125\/biden-asserts-executive-privilege-hur-tapes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asserting executive privilege<\/a> over the recordings \u2014 placing another roadblock in the way of House Republicans as they continue to argue with the DOJ over whether Congress should have access to the audio recording.<\/p>\n<p>Because of Biden\u2019s assertion of executive privilege, the chances of Garland facing criminal proceedings are slim to none. However, House Republicans have several alternative paths to take should the DOJ decline to follow through on the contempt resolutions.<\/p>\n<p>One path is to allow the courts to decide whether executive privilege is a viable claim on behalf of the president. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) told <em>Politico <\/em>that he thinks battling it out in the courts is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2024\/05\/17\/congress\/whats-next-for-house-gop-v-garland-00158678\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>very likely<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some Republicans have criticized the president\u2019s assertion of executive privilege as a political move, while some legal experts have argued that because Biden waived privilege with the transcript, it applies to the audio recording, as well. Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) echoed this thought to <em>Politico, <\/em>saying that GOP legal counsel is skeptical about the president\u2019s claim.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHopefully we\u2019ll find out if that\u2019ll hold up in court very soon,\u201d Comer said.<\/p>\n<p>The parameters of executive privilege agreed by the DOJ and other institutions allow the president and his advisers to \u201cdiscuss issues candily, express opinions, and explore options without fear that those deliberations will later be made public,\u201d according to comments from public interest law professor John Banzhaf from George Washington University Law School shared with the <em>Washington Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut here those discussions and opinions have already [been] made very public,\u201d Banzhaf noted.\u00a0\u201cThe cat is out of the bag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another route that GOP members may take is to take up a <a href=\"https:\/\/sgp.fas.org\/crs\/misc\/RL34097.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">long-dormant House contempt power<\/a> under a resolution from Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/anna-paulina-luna\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Anna Paulina Luna<\/a> (R-FL). In May, she announced an \u201cinherent contempt\u201d resolution against Garland, which differs from the committees\u2019 proceedings.<\/p>\n<p>Luna\u2019s resolution relies on the power to allow the House to detain and imprison someone until they comply with the congressional demand. Under the process, which hasn\u2019t been used since 1935, the person being held in contempt could be arrested by the sergeant-at-arms and brought to the House floor for trial, and can be imprisoned or detained in the Capitol.<\/p>\n<p>Luna\u2019s office confirmed to the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that Luna\u2019s resolution is still active. The Florida congresswoman <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/repluna\/status\/1791300013924003989?s=46\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>spoke about her resolution<\/a> during the Oversight hearing on Thursday night, which was moved from the early morning to later that night to accommodate Luna and other members\u2019 trip to New York to be at Trump\u2019s hush money trial.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI fully intend to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in inherent contempt of Congress if the DOJ does not do their job,\u201d Luna said in a post to X late Thursday.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Recording sows divisions between political parties<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>During the Judiciary Committee hearing, Republicans declared the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judiciary-committee-passes-merrick-garland-contempt-of-congress-resolution\/\" title=\"Judiciary Committee Approves Contempt Resolution for Merrick Garland\">executive branch \u201cdoesn\u2019<\/a>t get to choose\u201d what evidence they provide to the committee, while\u00a0House Democrats\u00a0blasted Republicans for politicizing the issue and wanting the audio recording for \u201cDonald Trump\u2019s campaign commercials\u201d or use Biden\u2019s stutter to \u201csmear\u201d him. <\/p>\n<p>The White House has avoided responding directly to the political implications of the audio recording\u2019s release. On Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the transcripts are \u201calready out there\u201d and Garland made it clear \u201cthat <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-refuses-to-turn-over-audio-of-robert-hur-interview-with-biden-to-house-gop\/\" title=\"The Department of Justice declines to provide House GOP with Robert Hur's interview audio with Biden\">law enforcement files<\/a> like these need to be protected.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to get into \u2014 dive into the specific point that you\u2019re making about the politics,\u201d Jean-Pierre said. \u201cI would have to \u2026 refer you to our Counsel\u2019s Office on that.\u00a0 But there were determination that the president took very seriously \u2026 at the request of the Attorney General.\u00a0And that\u2019s how this decision was made.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though Hur determined that the president\u2019s conduct posed \u201cserious risks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/national-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">national security<\/a>,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-new-special-counsel-arguments-against-a-russia-hoaxers-attempt-to-escape\/\" title=\"5 New Special Counsel Arguments Against A Russia Hoaxer\u2019s Attempt To Escape\">special counsel wrote<\/a> in his report that he did not charge Biden because he believed a jury would find him a \u201csympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory\u201d and likely not convict him for this reason.<\/p>\n<p>GOP members during the Judiciary Committee hearing latched onto those lines quickly as evidence that the president is not mentally competent to serve as commander-in-chief, believing that the audio recording will shed light on Biden\u2019s mannerisms, colloquialisms, and ability to answer questions.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat tape must be quite something if the administration of the\u00a0president\u00a0has decided to assert executive privilege to keep it from the committee in the course of an impeachment inquiry. Think about it,\u201d Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) said. \u201cThe basis for withholding the audio recording, when the transcript has been furnished, must rest on something about the recording that is distinct from the information contained in the transcript.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Oversight Committee hearing Thursday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3007590\/mtg-aoc-crockett-heated-oversight-hearing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>dissolved into chaos<\/a>, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) trading insults and barbs with Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Despite the late hour and long, drawn-out arguments, the committee passed its resolution, 23-19. The Judiciary Committee passed its resolution earlier in the day, 18-15.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The House readies to vote on dual contempt resolutions aimed at Attorney General Merrick Garland soon. Republicans anticipate potential alternatives in case the Justice Department refrains from prosecuting its head. Both the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees approved the measures on Thursday, signaling a firm stance against Garland<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2247587,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24101622775039.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2247586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24101622775039.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2648"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2247586"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247586\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2247587"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2247586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2247586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2247586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}