The White House has asserted executive privilege over audio and video recordings related to Special Counsel Robert Hur's interviews with President Biden, prompting threats of contempt of Congress from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer.
The Biden administration's assertion of executive privilege over audio and video recordings related to Special Counsel Robert Hur's interviews with President Biden has sparked outrage and threats of contempt of Congress from Republican lawmakers.
The White House claims that the recordings, which include Biden's interviews with Hur and ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, fall within the scope of executive privilege and could undermine the ability of the Justice Department to conduct similar investigations in the future.
Associate Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote in a letter to Republican House leaders Jim Jordan and James Comer that "the President has asserted executive privilege over the requested audio recordings and is making a protective assertion of privilege over any remaining materials responsive to the subpoenas that have not already been produced."
However, House Republicans argue that the White House has waived privilege by releasing the transcript of the interview and that they need the recordings as part of their investigation into Biden's mishandling of classified documents.
Chairman Comer said, "Clearly President Biden and his advisors fear releasing the audio recordings of his interview because it will again reaffirm to the American people that President Biden’s mental state is in decline."
Attorney General Merrick Garland has also asked Biden to block the release of the recordings, arguing that they pose "an unacceptable risk of undermining the Department's ability to conduct similar high-profile criminal investigations."
The move by the White House has been met with criticism from Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung, who accused the Biden administration of "irretrievably politicizing" executive privilege.
"Crooked Joe Biden and his feeble administration have irretrievably politicized the key constitutional tenet of executive privilege, denying it to their political opponents while aggressively trying to use it to run political cover for Crooked Joe," Cheung said.
The Justice Foundation's Oversight Project, as well as Judicial Watch and CNN, have filed FOIA requests seeking the release of the tapes, and House Republicans have unsuccessfully subpoenaed the recordings.
The House committees are considering a contempt of Congress resolution against Garland for refusing to turn over the documents.
Chairman Jordan said, "This last-minute invocation does not change the fact that the attorney general has not complied with our subpoena."
The Biden administration's order protects Garland from being held in contempt, according to the DOJ, but the House committees are proceeding with their contempt resolution.
The latest development in the Biden probe has fueled further controversy and heightened tensions between the Biden administration and Republican lawmakers, who are determined to investigate the president's handling of classified documents and his mental fitness to serve.
