CNN
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Home Speaker Mike Johnson mentioned Friday he’ll transfer in federal courtroom to implement a subpoena towards Lawyer Basic Merrick Garland to acquire audio recordings of President Joe Biden, after the Justice Division declined to act on the House’s contempt referral.
Johnson mentioned in a press release that he disagrees with the DOJ’s determination, calling it “one other instance of the two-tiered system of justice delivered to us by the Biden Administration.”
“I can be certifying the contempt stories to the U.S. Lawyer for the District of Columbia,” the Louisiana Republican mentioned. “We may also transfer to implement the subpoena of Lawyer Basic Garland in federal courtroom.”
In a letter to Johnson earlier Friday, DOJ pointed to its “longstanding” place of not prosecuting govt department officers who withhold data topic to govt privilege from Congress.
The announcement was anticipated after the Home, in a largely party-line vote, held Garland in contempt for not turning over audio from Biden’s interview in particular counsel Robert Hur’s categorized paperwork investigation.
“Constant with this longstanding place and uniform apply, the Division has decided that the responses by Lawyer Basic Garland to the subpoenas issued by the Committees didn’t represent a crime, and accordingly the Division is not going to carry the congressional contempt quotation earlier than a grand jury or take another motion to prosecute the Lawyer Basic,” the letter, from the division’s prime congressional liaison, mentioned.
GOP lawmaker on vote to carry AG Garland in contempt
Republican lawmakers have argued that entry to the tapes would offer extra data, transparency and oversight across the investigation right into a sitting US president.
On Wednesday, each Republican within the Home besides one – Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio – voted to carry Garland in contempt of Congress.
Whereas the Justice Division has defended its determination to not flip over the audio recordings of Biden’s interviews with Hur and his workforce – claiming the choice was made partly to guard this and future investigations – the Justice Division did make public transcripts of these interviews.
In describing the interviews, Hur mentioned that Biden introduced himself “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, aged man with a poor reminiscence.”
On the time, Biden ridiculed Hur’s report and questions on his reminiscence.
“Their activity was to decide over whether or not to maneuver ahead with expenses on this case,” Biden mentioned throughout a press convention following the report, noting that Hur didn’t transfer ahead with expenses. “For any extraneous commentary they don’t know what they’re speaking about. It has not place on this report.”
CNN has sued for access to the audio recordings, writing within the April lawsuit that “with out entry to any of the interview data, the press and public initially couldn’t type their very own conclusions about Hur’s characterization of Biden. … Transcripts, nonetheless, aren’t any substitute for recordings.”
In a press release following the vote to carry him in contempt, Garland mentioned Republicans had turned “a critical congressional authority right into a partisan weapon” and that he was “deeply upset.”
This story has been up to date with further reporting.
CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed to this report.