Justice Department blasts GOP effort to hold Attorney General Garland in contempt over Biden audio

By FARNOUSH AMIRI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is blasting Republicans’ effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt over his refusal to turn over unredacted materials related to the special counsel probe into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. That’s according to a letter obtained Monday by The Associated Press. The department in that letter rejected Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comers’ demand to turn over the unredacted audio of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with Biden and his ghostwriter. The department said it has so far complied with all of the other asks from the House Judiciary and Oversight committees. The pushback could potentially set up a scenario where the president would have to exert executive privilege to halt the release of the audio recording.