House Republicans are escalating tensions with Attorney General Merrick Garland, threatening to hold him in contempt of Congress due to the Justice Department's failure to produce subpoenaed audio recordings of former Special Counsel Robert Hur's interview with President Biden. The House Oversight Committee Chairman and House Judiciary Committee Chairman penned a letter to Garland, emphasizing the legal obligation to provide the requested materials.
The committees demanded the audio recordings of Hur's interviews with President Biden and Mr. Zwonitzer, setting a deadline of April 8, 2024, for compliance. Failure to meet this deadline could result in further actions, including contempt of Congress proceedings.
Despite the DOJ producing redacted transcripts of Hur's interviews with Biden, the crucial audio recordings remain undisclosed. House Republicans stress the significance of these recordings and have also subpoenaed Zwonitzer for documents and communications related to his ghostwriting work for Biden.
President Biden denies sharing classified information with Zwonitzer, but Hur's report suggests otherwise, detailing instances where Biden shared classified notes with the ghostwriter. Hur testified that Zwonitzer attempted to delete incriminating evidence upon learning of the investigation.
During Hur's public hearing, concerns were raised about the potential destruction of evidence by Zwonitzer. The ongoing dispute between House Republicans and the Justice Department underscores the contentious nature of the investigation into Biden's handling of classified records.
