Merrick Garland faces criminal referral after contempt resolution passes House

The House held Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress on Wednesday for his refusal to turn over the audio recording of President Joe Biden’s classified documents interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

All Republicans but one voted for the resolution that holds Garland in contempt for refusing to comply with a subpoena. House GOP leaders have been persistent in their requests for the audio recording, while Garland and House Democrats have claimed the recording is unnecessary because the transcript is already public.

Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) was the sole GOP “no” vote on the resolution.

After passing the full House, a criminal referral will now be made to the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, which must then weigh whether to move forward with prosecution. The committee’s contempt resolution would likely not result in any criminal proceedings for Garland, as he heads the Justice Department.