House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair, James Comer (R-Ky.), criticized the Department of Justice on Monday for its refusal to provide the unreacted materials from special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Biden’s handling of classified records.
In a statement on Monday, Representative Comer expressed his disagreement with the Biden Administration’s decision to withhold the audio recording of President Biden’s interview with the Special Counsel. He questioned why the American people wouldn’t be able to listen to the actual audio of the President’s answers when the transcript had already been released. Comer emphasized that it is not up to the Biden Administration to determine what Congress needs or doesn’t need for its oversight of the executive branch.
In response to the threat of contempt proceedings, Hur received a letter from the Justice Department (DOJ) advising him and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to “avoid conflict.” This came shortly before the remarks were made. The letter was sent after the two individuals expressed their intent to obtain information regarding Hur’s investigation into Biden and his handling of classified documents.
The Department of Justice’s head of legislative affairs informed the Republican chairs that their committees had already received the requested information. This included the transcripts of Hur’s interview with Biden, as well as a recording of their conversation.
The committees also requested some of the classified documents and communications with Biden’s attorneys.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte stated in a letter that the information provided may not have fully addressed the concerns raised by the Committees, but it does seem to contribute towards resolving them and answering their inquiry.
The chairs might have asked for the information for political purposes that should not play a role in determining which files should be shared.
Jordan and Comer aim to establish a link between Hur’s investigation into Biden and their ongoing impeachment inquiry against the president. The committees have been facing challenges in concluding their impeachment probe into Biden, with doubts emerging within their own party regarding the discovery of any potential wrongdoing.
The House GOP initiated a formal impeachment inquiry with the aim of bolstering their claims. These claims revolve around allegations that Biden had a hand in his son, Hunter Biden’s, overseas business ventures.
The credibility of these claims came into question when an FBI informant, who had accused President Biden of accepting a bribe during his time as vice president, was apprehended and charged for allegedly fabricating the accusation and providing false information to the bureau.
In response to the chairs’ threat to hold contempt proceedings against Attorney General Merrick Garland last month, a letter has been issued.
The Justice Department provided the transcript of Hur’s interview with Biden on March 12, but they did not hand over the valuable audio recordings that Republicans had requested.
In his letter on Monday, Uriarte argued that the committees’ emphasis on the information he believes the department has already provided implies that the requests are driven by political motives. He further contended that the chairs would struggle to demonstrate the legislative purpose behind their requests for the audio files.
