Despite pressure from the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees, the Biden White House will not release special counsel Robert Hur’s recordings of his sitdown with the POTUS.
The White House is asserting executive privilege to keep recordings of Hur’s infamous interview out of Republican hands. Hur famously concluded Biden wasn’t fit for trial in his mishandling of classified documents, calling him an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
“I write to inform you that the President has asserted executive privilege over the requested audio recordings and is making a protective assertion of privilege over any remaining materials responsive to the subpoenas that have not already been produced,” the Associate AG wrote in a letter Thursday to Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comer, chairmen of the Committee on the Judiciary and Committee on Oversight and Accountability, respectively.
“It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the President’s claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress.”
Oversight Chairman James Comer released a statement reacting to the news.
“It’s a five-alarm fire at the White House. Clearly President Biden and his advisors fear releasing the audio recordings of his interview because it will again reaffirm to the American people that President Biden’s mental state is in decline. The House Oversight Committee requires these recordings as part of our investigation of President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents. The White House is asserting executive privilege over the recordings, but it has already waived privilege by releasing the transcript of the interview. Today’s Hail Mary from the White House changes nothing for our committee. The House Oversight Committee will move forward with its markup of a resolution and report recommending to the House of Representatives that Attorney General Garland be held in contempt of Congress for defying a lawful subpoena.”
This story is developing…
BIDEN BLOCK: President Joe Biden has asserted executive privilege over audio of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur that's at the center of a Republican effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. MORE: https://t.co/mstpfUoAjb pic.twitter.com/KQLoRVydqM
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) May 16, 2024
