By Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. attorney general Merrick Garland on Thursday criticized what he called “baseless attacks” on the Justice Department by Republicans in Congress as he denied their request for audio recordings of a special counsel interview with the president. Joe Biden.
In a letter to the chairmen of the House Judiciary and Oversight committees, the Justice Department said the Biden administration was asserting executive privilege, a legal doctrine that protects certain executive branch records from disclosure, over the audio recordings of biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur about his keeping of secret data.
Garland criticized the series of political attacks House Republicans have launched on the DOJ and the justice system more broadly as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump faces multiple criminal charges.
“There has been a series of unprecedented and frankly baseless attacks on the Department of Justice,” Garland told reporters.
The letter also stated that Biden also claimed executive privilege over the audio recordings of Hur’s interview with his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer.
The House Oversight Committee is poised Thursday to take procedural steps toward setting up a vote to hold Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over the audio recordings.
“While our cooperation with Congress has been extraordinary, we also have a responsibility to protect the confidentiality of law enforcement records whose disclosure would jeopardize future investigations,” wrote Carlos Felipe Uriarte, assistant attorney general.
“The attorney general must draw a line that protects the department from undue political influence.”
Garland appointed Hur last year to investigate Biden over his retention of classified data dating back to his time as vice president under Barack Obama.
Hur ultimately declined to pursue criminal charges, noting that Biden had cooperated with the investigation, unlike Trump, who blocked a similar investigation, and Trump now faces federal charges of keeping classified data.
Hur described Biden as a “well-meaning older man with a bad memory,” sparking a firestorm of criticism from Democrats.
The Justice Department has already turned over a number of documents requested in congressional subpoenas issued by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer in connection with the Hur investigation. including transcribed interviews.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward and Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Scott Malone and Chizu Nomiyama)
