Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed on Tuesday that he has not personally listened to the audio recordings of President Joe Biden's interview with former special counsel Robert Hur. The recordings are at the center of an investigation into potential mishandling of classified information during Biden's time as Vice President.
Congressional Republicans have been pushing for access to these recordings, with two House committees led by Republicans voting to advance contempt proceedings against Garland for his refusal to release them. However, President Biden has invoked executive privilege over the recordings, and the Justice Department has argued that making them public could hinder future witness cooperation in similar cases.
During questioning by Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, Garland explained that he did not feel the need to personally listen to the recordings in order to make his determinations. He cited assurances from the special counsel, FBI agents present during the interview, and a senior career official that the transcripts accurately reflected the content of the audio.
Garland's response to Fitzgerald's concerns was that the special counsel had taken great care to ensure the accuracy of the transcripts produced during the investigation. He emphasized that the investigative team had verified that the transcripts matched the audio recordings, providing a basis for his decision-making process.
Despite ongoing pressure from Republicans to release the recordings, Garland's stance remains unchanged, asserting that he has relied on the information provided by the investigative team to inform his decisions. The debate over the potential release of the Biden-Hur interview recordings continues to be a point of contention between the Justice Department and congressional Republicans.
