{"id":2247822,"date":"2024-05-19T07:14:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-19T11:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-executive-privilege-over-hur-audio-but-not-transcript-draws-scrutiny\/"},"modified":"2024-05-19T07:17:02","modified_gmt":"2024-05-19T11:17:02","slug":"bidens-executive-privilege-over-hur-audio-but-not-transcript-draws-scrutiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-executive-privilege-over-hur-audio-but-not-transcript-draws-scrutiny\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden&#8217;s executive privilege on Hur audio raises questions about transparency"},"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\">20<\/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%2Fbidens-executive-privilege-over-hur-audio-but-not-transcript-draws-scrutiny%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=2247822&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>President Biden&#8217;s \u200bassertion of executive privilege over the audio recording\u200b of\u2064 his interview with special counsel Robert Hur has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/after-commuting-his-sentence-ca-gov-newsom-reverses-parole-for-convicted-double-murderer\/\" title=\"After Commuting His Sentence, CA Gov. Newsom Reverses Parole For Convicted Double Murderer\">sparked controversy<\/a> among Republicans and legal experts. The decision to withhold the recording, despite \u200cpreviously releasing the transcript, has \u2064raised questions about transparency\u2062 and the scope of\u200c executive privilege. The \u2062issue \u200chas\u200b led to \u200ddebates and hearings, highlighting \u200dconcerns about accountability and political motivations.  <\/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>President <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-biden\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Joe Biden<\/a>\u2018s assertion of executive privilege over special counsel Robert Hur\u2019s audio recording of their <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/classified-documents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>classified documents<\/a> interview sparked criticism from <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-republicans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Republicans<\/a> and legal experts after the president previously waived his privilege of the interview transcript.<\/p>\n<p>A few hours before the <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-judiciary-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>House Judiciary Committee<\/a>\u2018s hearing to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt over the audio, Biden\u2019s counsel and the Department of Justice revealed the president had decided at the eleventh hour to claim <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3006125\/biden-asserts-executive-privilege-hur-tapes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">executive privilege<\/a> over the recordings, meaning Biden had asserted his right under the separation of powers to withhold the audio from Congress.<\/p>\n<p>House GOP members spent much of the Judiciary hearing, and later an Oversight Committee hearing, questioning the validity of Biden\u2019s assertion, arguing it was for political reasons and a way to avoid shedding light on the president\u2019s \u201cdeclining\u201d mental state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat tape must be quite something if<strong> <\/strong>the administration of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">president<\/a> has decided to assert executive privilege to keep it from the committee in the course of an impeachment inquiry,\u201d Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) said during the Judiciary hearing, referencing the broader inquiry the GOP is conducting into the Biden family\u2019s business dealings.<\/p>\n<p>Following Hur revealing that he found Biden had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnns-smerconish-trump-suffering-death-by-a-thousand-cuts-legally-speaking\/\" title=\"CNN's Smerconish: Trump Suffering 'Death by a Thousand Cuts, Legally Speaking'\">mishandled classified documents<\/a> but that he would not prosecute Biden for it, House Republicans demanded the transcript of Biden\u2019s interview with Hur, the audio of the interview, and several other materials. Prior to Hur first unveiling his findings, Biden declined to assert executive privilege over any of the report. Then, the DOJ proceeded to provide Republicans with the interview transcript and nearly every other item they asked for \u2014 with the exception of the audio.<\/p>\n<p>The issue? Experts say that because the president already authorized the DOJ to release the transcript \u2014 which is understood to be verbatim from the recordings \u2014 it is likely he already waived privilege over the audio recording.<\/p>\n<p>The agreed-upon parameters of executive privilege allow the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/president\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>president<\/a> and his advisers to \u201cdiscuss issues candidly, express opinions, and explore options without fear that those deliberations will later be made public,\u201d according to public interest law professor John Banzhaf from George Washington University Law School.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut here those discussions and opinions have already [been] made very public,\u201d Banzhaf said in a statement provided to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.\u00a0\u201cThe cat is out of the bag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Banzhaf noted that his statements are not a result of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/politics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>political<\/a> bias, as he filed the formal complaint that led to the Fulton County, Georgia, investigation and indictment of Trump.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-may-have-to-use-his-break-the-glass-option-to-keep-hunter-out-of-jail-top-law-professor\/\" title=\"Top law professor suggests Biden may need to resort to extreme measures to prevent Hunter from going to jail.\">professor pointed<\/a> out that the conversation released in the \u201cword-by-word\u201d transcript was not between the president and his advisors, but instead a conversation between Biden and a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-red-wave-of-conservative-women-elected-to-congress\/\" title=\"The Red Wave of Conservative Women Elected to Congress\">law enforcement<\/a> officer \u201cinvestigating whether he should be prosecuted for a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut obviously the purpose of executive privilege is not to keep damaging information from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Congress<\/a> simply because it could embarrass a president or affect his political chances,\u201d Banzhaf noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhether we like it or not, recordings by high government officials, even those made without their knowledge or consent, have been used to cause embarrassment, and possibly even to obtain political advantage,\u201d Banzhaf continued.<\/p>\n<p>Tom Fitton, the president of the conservative watchdog Judicial Watch, said Biden\u2019s move \u201cappears to be a novel use of executive privilege\u201d and that he plans to file a legal challenge to it.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<blockquote data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">NEW: Biden asserting executive privilege to hide audio of his special counsel criminal interviews. Given our 30 years of experience fighting WH records issues in court, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JudicialWatch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JudicialWatch<\/a> is curious how executive privilege could possible apply to these tapes. We look forward to\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DQlDReETdS\">https:\/\/t.co\/DQlDReETdS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TomFitton\/status\/1791093245654499562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Conversations over whether Garland deserves to be held in contempt of Congress for not turning over the audio recording have divided the parties. The House Oversight hearing descended into chaos on Thursday night, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3007590\/mtg-aoc-crockett-heated-oversight-hearing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>lobbing insults and trading barbs<\/a> with Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).<\/p>\n<p>At one point, Greene said, \u201cI think your fake eyelashes are messing up your reading\u201d to Crockett, angering Ocasio-Cortez, who demanded the Georgia Republican to apologize and have the words struck from the record.<\/p>\n<p>In the Judiciary hearing, which stayed more civilized, Republicans questioned why they could have the transcript but not the recording.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey don\u2019t get to choose,\u201d Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe person providing the evidence doesn\u2019t get to choose the manner and form in which the evidence is provided. \u2026 There\u2019s a difference between a transcript and a video and audio,\u201d Armstrong continued. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t possibly understand the argument of \u2018we\u2019ll release the transcript, but we won\u2019t release the tapes.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both contempt resolutions from the Judiciary and Oversight Committees <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3006451\/judiciary-committee-passes-merrick-garland-contempt-resolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>passed on Thursday<\/a>, with the measures now heading to the full House for a floor vote to be scheduled by House GOP leadership.<\/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>The committee\u2019s contempt resolution would likely not result in any criminal proceedings for Garland, as he heads the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/justice-department\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Justice Department<\/a>. Spokespeople for the DOJ have disputed the legitimacy of the committee\u2019s efforts in letters to Congress and warned that releasing the audio would have a chilling effect on witnesses coming forward to law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p>In its most recent letter to Congress, the DOJ also said the executive branch\u2019s \u201clongstanding position\u201d is that an official who asserts the president\u2019s executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for contempt.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Biden&#8217;s claim of executive privilege on Robert Hur&#8217;s audio recording of their classified documents interview has drawn backlash from Republicans and legal experts. This move follows Biden&#8217;s earlier decision to waive privilege on the interview transcript. The House Judiciary Committee was set to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt shortly after<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2648,"featured_media":2247823,"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\/AP24136602770978.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2247822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24136602770978.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247822","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=2247822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2247823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2247822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2247822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2247822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}