Biden TAPES Cause Stir for Garland in Florida

Garland Brought into CUSTODY?

Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, issued a warning, stating that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland might be arrested for neglecting to provide Congress with tapes of Special Counsel Rob Hur’s interview with President Biden.

 

Luna said at a press conference on Wednesday that Garland “still has time” to comply with a congressional subpoena for the tapes, but if he doesn’t, “we will press forward with calling the privilege motion on inherent contempt to the floor on Friday morning.” Luna was joined by nine other House Republicans, including members of the Freedom Caucus and more moderate members.

 

The Sergeant-at-Arms will be called up if the motion is successful, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., “of which they do have the authority under this inherent contempt motion to bring him into custody,” Luna stated. However, I also want to be clear that Garland made this decision. No one is above the law once more. And we will if he decides to follow this course.”

 

“It is also important to note that if we, as a Congress, do not have the ability to enforce our investigative ability, that we are essentially going to be ignored and undercut and essentially handicapped by all other branches, which would make us not a co-equal branch of government,” Luna stated.

 

The criminal contempt resolution that was approved on June 12 is not the same as inherent contempt. The latter forwarded Garland’s criminal allegations to his own agency.

Because Garland was acting on Biden’s own assertions of presidential privilege regarding the interview tapes, the Department of Justice declared that it would not prosecute the man.

 

According to the Congressional Research Service, the inherent contempt power “is a constitutionally based authority given to each house to unilaterally arrest and detain an individual found to be ‘obstructing the performance of the duties of the legislature.'” “The power is broader in scope than the criminal contempt statute in that it may be used not only to combat subpoena non-compliance, but also in response to other actions that could be reviewed as ‘obstructing’ or threatening either house’s exercise of its legislative powers.”

 

In response to a question about whether the House speaker has thought of any other means to carry out the subpoena, Luna stated that she believes Johnson “is open to discussions on how to best enforce this,” but she cautioned that considering “what’s currently happening in our country,” a new procedure “would take a very long time.”

 

“Why would we take that action when we can take it directly here in the House? What you are witnessing is a profound mistrust on the side of the American people not only in our capacity to govern efficiently but also in the Department of Justice and our genuine equality as a nation,” Luna stated. “When subpoenas are issued, and they are summoned to appear in court, poor White, Brown, and Black Americans do not have the option to ignore them. I find it outrageous that the man in charge, essentially the chief law enforcement official, is choosing to disobey the law.”