The House of Representatives voted Thursday against a GOP-led effort to fine Attorney General Merrick Garland $10,000 a day until he provided audiotapes of an interview President Joe Biden gave in his classified documents case.
Last month, House Republicans voted to hold Garland in contempt for refusing to comply with a request from lawmakers to hand over the audio of Biden’s interview with Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Robert Hur. On Wednesday, GOP Representative Anna Paulina Luna introduced the resolution that would have imposed the fine on Garland until he complied with a congressional subpoena.
However, Luna’s measure failed in a 204-210 vote. Four Republicans joined the Democrats in rejecting the effort.
Here is a full list of Republican lawmakers who voted “nay” on the measure:
- Representative John Duarte of California
- Representative David Joyce of Ohio
- Representative Michael Turner of Ohio
- Representative Tom McClintock of California
Joyce was the lone Republican last month to vote against holding Garland in contempt of Congress.
“As a former prosecutor, I cannot in good conscience support a resolution that would further politicize our judicial system to score political points,” Joyce said at the time about his contempt vote. “The American people expect Congress to work for them, solve policy problems and prioritize good governance. Enough is enough.”
“One month ago, I voted against a similar resolution, and my position still stands. A court of law is where a procedural matter like this should be decided,” he told Newsweek.
In a statement posted on his House page, McClintock wrote that “to enforce its subpoena, the House is pursuing the matter in court in order to obtain a ruling on the legality of the Attorney General’s refusal to comply. This is the appropriate response, and the same process that ultimately compelled Richard Nixon to turn over tape recorded conversations in the Watergate investigation.”
He added that Luna’s resolution invoked “inherent contempt” against Garland, which he called “an established—although seldom used—power that Congress holds to defend its own proceedings, including the issuance of subpoenas.”
“Under several Supreme Court decisions, this allows the House to arrest individuals and bring them to the bar of the House to answer for their conduct. The last time the House invoked this power was in 1934,” McClintock said. “This resolution is a gross misuse of this power and I oppose it.”
“This vote is not good process, and it sets a bad precedent that any single member can force a vote without committee review,” Duarte said of Luna’s resolution. “We must lower the temperature in Congress, work with both parties on real issues, and move our country forward.”
Several Republicans were absent from the vote, including Representatives Dan Crenshaw of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
Reached for comment, a representative for Luna directed Newsweek to a statement the Florida congresswoman posted on X (formerly Twitter), which referenced the Republicans who did not participate in the vote.
“Today’s vote on my inherent contempt resolution and the legislative appropriations bill did not pass due to some Republican absences. An overwhelming majority of the party supports this resolution, and it already survived multiple kill-shot attempts by Democrats,” Luna wrote.
BREAKING: Rep. Luna Refiles Inherent Contempt Resolution Against AG Merrick Garland
“Today’s vote on my inherent contempt resolution and the legislative appropriations bill did not pass due to some Republican absences. An overwhelming majority of the party supports this… pic.twitter.com/Hs3CFij4NZ
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) July 11, 2024
She continued, “Our efforts have not been futile, and I thank all the Members who have been fighting alongside me to restore justice and order in our institutions. I have refiled the resolution and will be calling it up again in a couple of weeks when Congress is back in session and Members return.
“Attorney General Merrick Garland will pay and be held accountable for trying to undermine our institutions. No one is above the law,” Luna said.
Meanwhile, Democrats felt the measure was a “political stunt,” according to the Associated Press.
The Republicans’ “frustration is that they can’t get their hands on an audio recording that they think they could turn into an [Republican National Committee] attack ad,” Democratic Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts said, according to the AP. “When you start making a mockery of things like inherent contempt you diminish this institution.”
Why in hell does Johnson and the RNC support these backstabbing bastards? This is why I quit donating to senate and house republicans. Represent us or go to hell.
Thank you, Jim McGovern, for admitting that the Democrat Party “…makes a mockery of things like inherent contempt and diminishes this [House of Representatives]institution. Yes Jim, I am referring to three impeachment hearings and the [un]select J6 Committee[Pelosi political circus] and numerous [debunked] accusations pointed toward President Donald J. Trump.
OK, Jim? Let’s just call a spade a “spade”.
The Democrat Party makes a mockery of the Attorney General’s Office every time Merrick Garland opens his mouth. We the People” are not some ignorant fools. We see during the hearings and make our own decisions concerning “mockery” Thank you, for reminding us.