President Biden Asserts Executive Privilege Over Audio Recordings of Special Counsel Interviews

President Biden has invoked executive privilege to block House Republicans from obtaining audio recordings of his interviews with special counsel Robert Hur over his handling of classified documents. The move comes just hours before House Republicans are set to meet to consider resolutions to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over the files which had been subpoenaed by the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.

White House counsel Ed Siskel wrote in a letter obtained by The Hill, “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.” Siskel also questioned the motives of Republicans seeking the recordings, stating, “The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal—to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes.”

The transcript of Biden’s interview with Hur, which took place over two days last October, was released to House Republicans ahead of the special counsel’s public testimony on Capitol Hill in March. The content of the interview has little to do with the GOP’s purported interest in obtaining the audio files for their impeachment investigation.

Hur’s report concluded no charges should be brought against the president, but described Biden’s memory lapses and referred to him as a “well-meaning, elderly man,” which sparked controversy. The White House pushed back against the inclusion of these details, calling them gratuitous.

Garland, in a letter to Biden, warned that disclosing the audio recordings could harm future investigations by discouraging witness cooperation. He argued that with Biden’s claim of executive privilege, Republicans should halt their plans to hold him in contempt.

Despite the executive privilege claim, House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer stated that the panel would proceed with contempt regardless. The committee will move forward with its resolution recommending that Attorney General Garland be held in contempt of Congress for defying a lawful subpoena.

The ongoing battle between the White House and House Republicans highlights the contentious nature of the investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents and the political implications at play. Stay tuned for further developments on this story.