Oversight Committee Passes Garland Contempt Resolution amid Contentious Hearing

Both the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees passed a resolution on Thursday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to disclose audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

The Judiciary Committee passed the measure first with an 18-15 party line vote. The Oversight Committee also passed the resolution late Thursday by 24-20 along party lines. The Oversight pushed its hearing to 8:00 p.m. so its members could travel to help defend former President Donald Trump during his criminal trial in New York.

The passage of the resolutions will now head to the House for a floor vote. Republicans maintain a narrow majority in the House to pass the resolution.

During the Oversight hearing, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) verbally attacked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and called her “a baby” after Greene asked Democrats if any of them employ the daughter of Trump Judge Juan Merchan.

Democrat Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) is a client of Merchan’s daughter’s consulting firm, Breitbart News reported this week.

It started when Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) asked Greene why she would raise that topic during the contempt hearing.

“I don’t think you know what you’re here for. … I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading,” Greene replied.

“That is absolutely unacceptable,” Ocasio-Cortez immediately said. “How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person.”

“Are your feelings hurt?” Greene asked Ocasio-Cortez.

“Oh, girl. Baby girl. Don’t even play,” Ocasio-Cortez replied.

“Baby girl? I don’t think so,” Greene said.

Watch the full exchange below:

Garland defied a final warning in April to comply with a subpoena for the recording of Biden’s interview with Hur despite several warnings and requests for the audio. Republicans demand the audio as a part of their effort to conduct their impeachment inquiry into Biden for his involvement in the Biden business.

Hur’s investigation of Biden, which concluded in February, found Biden “willfully” retained classified documents but declined to prosecute him, citing “insufficient evidence.” Hur characterized Biden in his report as “an elderly man with a poor memory.” The president experienced mental lapses and “poor memory” at least seven times during his interview with Hur, according to a transcript obtained by Breitbart News.

Moments before the committee met on Thursday to consider the contempt resolution, Biden asserted executive privilege to prevent the disclosure of the audio. The DOJ subsequently alleged Biden’s executive privilege prevents Congress from holding Garland in contempt of Congress.

Disclosing the audio “would raise an unacceptable risk” of undermining “similar high-profile criminal investigations — in particular, investigations where the voluntary cooperation of White House officials is exceedingly important,” Garland told reporters.

Republicans pushed the resolutions forward anyway.