House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, had previously indicated their intention to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress due to the Justice Department’s delay in providing audio recordings requested by the committees. However, on Thursday, the Justice Department highlighted that it had already furnished a transcript of President Biden’s interview with the special counsel.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte emphasized in a letter that the Department’s cooperation had been exceptional, stating, “If the Committees’ goal is to receive information from the Department in furtherance of your investigations, that goal has been more than met.” Uriarte expressed concern that despite the Department’s efforts, the Committees continued to escalate threats of contempt without just cause, stating, “It seems that the more information you receive, the less satisfied you are, and the less justification you have for contempt, the more you rush towards it.”
Uriarte conveyed that baseless threats of contempt risked undermining public confidence in government institutions, cautioning against the creation of a misleading narrative of obstruction. He reiterated the Department’s commitment to upholding the integrity of law enforcement work.
Regarding the investigation led by Special Counsel John Hur, it was disclosed that Hur’s report, released to the public in February after extensive inquiry, did not recommend criminal charges against President Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents. Hur clarified that even if Biden were not in office, he would not pursue charges related to the matter.
Hur’s report specifically referenced classified documents pertaining to military and foreign policy matters in Afghanistan and other nations, as well as records associated with national security and foreign policy that contained sensitive intelligence sources and methods. The report characterized President Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory,” a depiction that has drawn scrutiny within the context of Biden’s potential re-election campaign in 2024.
