Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts has lashed out at the GOP for attempting to fine and hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress, saying the resolutions targeting him were “stupid.” McGovern said Republicans know the proposals are “stupid” but are beholden to the MAGA wing and “too chicken” to stand up to “extremists” in their party.
Writing on Twitter, Rep. McGovern said GOP lawmakers are intent on turning the United States into Russia and will “weaponize” the tapes of President Biden against him in attack ads. He noted that the Department of Justice has already provided Republicans with transcripts, which should be sufficient.
The case refers to interviews with President Biden by Special Counsel Robert Hur. The President was interviewed as part of Hur’s investigations into his handling of classified documents—some of which were found at Biden’s old University of Pennsylvania office and the garage at his Delaware home. After sitting down with President Biden, Mr. Hur determined he would not bring charges because a jury would likely view Biden as a “well-meaning elderly man with memory problems.”
The Justice Department gave interview transcripts to Republicans, who have repeatedly requested accompanying audio recordings, but the Department refuses to hand them over. The GOP insists recordings will allow them to assess the President’s cognitive fitness because it will include verbal pauses or silences that cannot be deciphered from transcripts.
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna subsequently moved the House of Representatives to impose a $10,000-a-day fine on Merrick Garland until the tapes are handed over. She initially wanted Garland arrested but withdrew that proposal after speaking with House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Luna’s resolution failed in the House by 210 votes to 204. Four Republicans, Reps. John Duarte of California, David Joyce of Ohio, Tom McClintock of California, and Mike Turner from Ohio joined with Democrats to defeat the proposal. Rep. Luna told reporters she intends to reintroduce the resolution again.
