The Department of Justice (DOJ) refused to hand over data to Republican investigators in Congress, setting off a potential confrontation amid the expanding probe into the alleged mishandling of classified material by President Joe Biden. The documents probe not only contrasted with wider concerns about national security but also the mental state and health of the president.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte said that the DOJ would not turn over the information related to special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden. This came despite a deadline set by House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH).
“The Department is concerned that the Committees’ particular focus on continuing to demand information that is cumulative of information we already gave you — what the President and Mr. Hur’s team said in the interview — indicates that the Committees’ interests may not be in receiving information in service of legitimate oversight or investigatory functions, but to serve political purposes that should have no role in the treatment of law enforcement files,” read the letter.
DOJ.🚨
Attorney General Merrick Garland Now in Danger of 'Contempt of Congress'
Attorney General Merrick Garland faces a deadline of TODAY to turn over recordings of President Joe Biden's special counsel interview with Robert Hur or risk Contempt of Congress charges.… pic.twitter.com/uc5HTngOHN
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) April 8, 2024
The decision could result in contempt charges against Attorney General Merrick Garland or another official at the DOJ.
Jordan and Comer’s letter said that failure to deliver the information would cause the committees to “consider taking further action, such as the invocation of contempt of Congress proceedings.”
Hur’s March testimony before Congress became a major political debate. House Democrats criticized the special counsel for his takeaways from the probe into Biden’s documents.
According to Hur, the president held a number of classified documents in his private home in Delaware, as well as other locations. According to Hur’s testimony, some of the material kept by the president was retained from his time as a U.S. Senator.
The release of Hur’s report in February did not recommend charges against the president, despite the high likelihood that he intentionally retained the data.
However, the special counsel wrote that if the president was put on trial, he would attempt to frame himself as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
In particular, the president allegedly could not remember a number of important issues, including when his son Beau Biden died. Biden also allegedly forgot the period that he was vice president.
