Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna detailed Sunday on Fox News the next steps lawmakers are expected to take in order to hold U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland accountable after the Department of Justice (DOJ) refused to prosecute him over his withholding of Biden’s audiotapes.
Luna appeared on “Sunday Morning Futures With Maria Bartiromo” to discuss Congress’ recent resolution to hold Garland in contempt after refusing to hand over audiotapes from special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden over his alleged mishandling of classified documents. Fox host Maria Bartiromo began by asking Luna about what the lawmakers “next move” will be as GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he would push for the issue to be brought to the federal courts after the DOJ declined to prosecute. (RELATED: ‘This Is The Hill You Need To Fight On’: Turley Applauds GOP, Blasts Garland For ‘Absurd’ Holding Of Biden Audiotapes)
“Yeah, so actually several months ago I introduced a resolution for something called ‘inherent contempt of Congress’. This is something that Congress has the authority to do and it hasn’t been done since the early 1900s. Essentially what that does is — I anticipated that the Department of Justice would not do their job, so I had this teed up and ready to go. I brought this to Speaker Johnson’s attention and what that allows Congress to do is really be the punitive arm and really hold Garland accountable by using the sergeant-at-arms to essentially go and get him as well as the tapes, bring them to the well of the House and really be a check and balance on the Department of Justice,” Luna said.
“Again, this has been done since the early 1900s, but that vote will be coming to the floor and hopefully we will be able to bring some accountability. I know that if this goes to [the] courts as Johnson has stated that’s really going to get stuck there, it’s not going to do anything. The American people deserve more than strongly worded letters, I think we’re all frustrated and so again we’re hoping to bring that accountability.”
Bartiromo continued to question Luna on Republicans’ push to retrieve the audiotapes from Garland, due to the fact that they already have transcripts of the interaction. The Fox host asked Luna if she believes the tapes could be doctored in any way as filler words such as ‘um’ and ‘ah’s’ have been confirmed to be edited out.
“I believe that it’s possible that it’s been doctored, but I also think it’s going to show the American people whether or not Biden is capable of making those decisions. Remember, we have a foreign-policy debacle right now. We have Russian warships off of our coast and if he is not able to stand fit as president — I don’t think that he’s going to be the nominee this November. I think that’s why Democrats are trying to protect him and the DOJ,” Luna said.
“So you don’t think he’s gonna be the nominee?” Bartiromo asked.
“Not if these tapes come out, no Maria. I think that they have big problems and I think that his cognitive inability is the number one issue for them currently,” Luna responded.
Congress approved Garland’s contempt resolution in a 216-207 vote Wednesday after he refused subpoenas issued by the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability for the audiotapes in February. While the White House has argued lawmakers don’t have a need for the tapes with the transcripts available, the DOJ additionally declined to press charges Friday.
Johnson has since stated in an online post that while the DOJ’s response was “sadly predictable,” he will be certifying the contempt reports and move to “enforce the subpoena of Attorney General Garland in federal court.”
