Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and Republican Kentucky Rep. James Comer, Chair of the House Oversight Committee, sent a letter Monday to Attorney General Merrick Garland calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to comply with subpoenas issued by both committees or face contempt of Congress.
The Daily Caller first obtained a copy of the letter, in which the two lawmakers renew demands for the audio recordings of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with President Joe Biden and the transcript and audio recordings of Hur’s interviews with Biden’s ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer. The committees previously requested both, however the DOJ only sent back two transcripts of Hur’s interview with Zwonitzer and withheld the audio recordings of Hur’s interviews of Biden and Zwonitzer.
“On February 27, 2024, the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability issued subpoenas to you for a narrow and specific set of material in the Department of Justice’s possession relating to Special Counsel Robert K. Hur’s investigation of President Joe Biden’s ‘willful’ mishandling of classified documents. Your response to the subpoenas remains inadequate, suggesting that you are withholding records for partisan purposes and to avoid political embarrassment for President Biden,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Jim Jordan Demands Docs, Communications Between Big Tech And FBI)
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
The lawmakers warned if they do not receive the requested material by 12:00 p.m. on April 25 they will invoke contempt of Congress proceedings. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Threaten To Subpoena Jack Smith)
“If the Department continues to withhold materials responsive to the Committees’ subpoenas—namely, the audio recordings of Special Counsel Hur’s interviews with President Biden and Mr. Zwonitzer—we will have no choice but to invoke contempt of Congress proceedings. To avoid this, the Committees expect you to produce all responsive materials no later than 12:00 p.m. on April 25, 2024.”
Hur released his special counsel report on Feb. 8 detailing Biden’s handling of classified documents. While Hur decided not to pursue charges against the president, the special counsel made note of Biden’s declining mental state.
In a five-hour interview with the president on Oct. 8-9, Hur noted that Biden seemed to forget when his vice presidency began and ended as well as when his late son, Beau Biden, died.
The report added that if Biden were to appear before a jury, he would present himself as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” (RELATED: Hur Reportedly Seeking To Testify In Front Of GOP Over Biden Special Counsel Report)
The White House has criticized Hur’s report and characterization of Biden’s memory, going as far as to label the report as “flatly wrong,” “inappropriate and “gratuitous.”
Biden himself addressed the report in a press conference after its release, during which he blamed his staff and took no responsibility for mishandling classified documents, and claimed concerns about his mental faculties are a press fabrication.