Posted on 05/16/2024 10:48:44 AM PDT by Red Badger
The Justice Department's Legal Counsel Office said the recording should be considered protected by executive privilege. Chairman Comer says the claim "changes nothing" and vows to continue contempt proceedings.
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President Joe Biden on Thursday claimed the recording of his interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur about his retention of classified documents should not be released due to executive privilege just hours before House Republicans were set to move toward holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for not releasing the recordings.
The Justice Department's Legal Counsel Office said the recording should be considered protected by executive privilege, and Garland should not be punished for not releasing it, Associate Attorney General Carlos Uriatre said.
"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," Uriatre wrote in a letter Thursday, according to CNN.
"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 held in contempt of Congress," he also wrote, per the Associated Press.
"Because of the President’s longstanding commitment to protecting the integrity, effectiveness, and independence of the Department of Justice and its law enforcement investigations, he has decided to assert executive privilege over the recordings," Counsel to the President Edward Siskel wrote in a letter to the Oversight and Judiciary Committees Thursday. Siskel also claimed providing the tapes would risk "harming future law enforcement investigations," according to the letter obtained by Just the News.
File 2024-05-16.Siskel_to_Comer_and_Jordan_re_Privilege.pdf The classified documents probe did not result in any charges being brought against the president, with Hur's report concluding that a jury would likely find him to be a "sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Biden's executive privilege claim would not change his committee's efforts to hold Garland in contempt.
"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," Comer said in a statement posted to X.
"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," he added.
Biden should allow all the truth to come out.
Like Stormy Daniels on film Biden should claim he has nothing to hide.
There are so many holes in that executive privilege claim I don’t know where to start, and I’m not even a legal/constitutional scholar.
Just another Anchor Baby from the East Bay cesspool
“...the integrity, effectiveness, and independence...”
The DoJustUs has no integrity and no independence.
It’s very effective in using its fascist, jack-booted thugs against its political enemies, real and imagined.
Yes, Executive privilege is supposed to shield close confidential discussions with TOP aides. Certainly NOT a prosecutor who is obligated to nail you and has given you Miranda warnings.
It’s not about the truth. It’s about Biden sounding like a dufus.
It’s not his to stop. Congress already has a transcript. Wouldn’t that be election interference?
Sounds impeachable, by Democrat standards
Its because that video is SO SO SO bad if it were to EVER come out it would sink Biden’s entire bogus presidency
If this were Trump someone in the DOJ would have already released it to the media
Okay. So business as usual. Nothing's changed.
Hmmm....Executive Privilege for Briben, but, not for Pres Trump?
Sounds impeachable, by Democrat standards
Agree.
While he has Peter Navarro in jail for the same claim.
What FJB and Garland are saying, without actually saying it, by this bogus privilege assertion, is the same as Trump’s argument about presidential immunity. Brandon and Garland cannot be seen as agreeing with Trump on this issue, so they now tell another the lie and dig their hole deeper.
Think there might be some differences between the recording and the transcript? He waived privilege when they released the transcript.
Executive privilege has pretty much been voided the last seven years Joe. That whole goes around comes around thing.
Appeal this to the supreme Court... And hurry!
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