by Ben Whedon
Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna informed lawmakers on Monday that she will introduce a resolution requiring the House sergeant-at-arms to detain Attorney General Merrick Garland and bring him before the lower house.
This month, the House found Garland in contempt of Congress in: 216-207 votes in connection with his refusal to turn over recordings of special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden. This was pointed out by the Department of Justice he won’t pursue Garland.
According to Luna, Luna’s resolution would make Garland feel “intrinsic contempt” for the matter Hill. The House hasn’t done this in less than 100 years.
“Under contempt, a person is brought before a House judge by the sergeant at arms, tried by the body, and may then be detained either in the Capitol or in Washington, D.C.,” Luna wrote. “This lawsuit demonstrates the seriousness with which Congress views noncompliance and the potential consequences for those who refuse to cooperate.”
“The only way to ensure compliance with our subpoena is to exercise our constitutional authority of contempt,” she added. “Over the next few days, I will be introducing my resolution holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in inherent contempt of Congress, and I look forward to each of you voting for it.”
Hur interviewed Biden as part of an investigation into the president’s handling of classified materials. Garland has already provided a transcript of the interview, although Republicans have requested only the audio recording. The attorney general refused to release the tape after Biden claimed executive privilege over the recording.
Before the contempt vote, a memo from the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) emphasized that “no U.S. attorney has brought criminal contempt charges against an executive branch official sustaining the President’s claims of executive privilege.”
– – –
