The U.S. House of Representatives voted on a partisan basis on Wednesday to hold Biden's Attorney General, Merrick Garland, in contempt of Congress for refusing to obey lawful congressional orders to subpoena audio of interviews between President Joseph R. Biden and Special Counsel Robert Hur. All six Republicans in Alabama's House delegation voted in favor of the contempt motion.

Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) issued a statement after voting in favor of holding Garland in contempt.

“Merrick Garland's refusal to release the audio recording of President Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur raises serious questions about whether President Biden is mentally fit to serve as president,” Rep. Palmer said.

“The White House strongly denies Special Counsel Hoare's portrayal of President Biden as a 'caring, well-meaning old man with a poor memory.' The investigation into Biden's mishandling of classified documents is closed and Biden is not in legal jeopardy. Also, given the fact that the unredacted records are publicly available, it is incomprehensible that Attorney General Garland would be willing to be charged with contempt of Congress for refusing to release the audio recordings of the interviews pursuant to a subpoena. Attorney General Garland's willingness to be charged with contempt of Congress and have his record tainted only increases speculation and concerns about President Biden's mental capacity to effectively perform the duties of his presidency.”

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Rep. Barry Moore (R-Enterprise) released a statement on Twitter after voting in favor of the bill.

I voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for ignoring two subpoenas to release the audio of Special Counsel Har's interview with Joe Biden.

The American people have a right to hear what is on those tapes.

— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) June 12, 2024

“I voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for ignoring two subpoenas to release the audio of Special Counsel Harr's interview with Joe Biden,” Rep. Moore said on social media platform X. “The American people have a right to hear what's on those tapes.”

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong also issued a statement after voting in favor of the resolution.

Today, I joined my colleagues in voting to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. The fact is simple: Department of Justice leadership cannot conceal materials that are essential to Congress' constitutional duty to oversight and monitor the Executive Branch.

— Dale W. Strong (@RepDaleStrong) June 12, 2024

“Today, I joined my colleagues in voting to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress,” said Sen. Strong (R-Monrovia). “The facts are simple: Department of Justice leadership cannot conceal materials that are vital to Congress' constitutional duty of oversight of the Executive Branch.”

Hoare was tasked with investigating Biden for mishandling classified documents before he became president, and said Biden was guilty, but declined to prosecute, saying Biden — the oldest president in U.S. history — had such poor memory that he was in doubt as to whether he was fit to stand trial.

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The Biden administration is asserting executive privilege over the tapes, an argument Garland of the Justice Department agrees with the White House.

“It is deeply disappointing that the House has transformed an important congressional power into a partisan weapon,” the Justice Department said in an opinion provided to The Hill. “Today's vote ignores the constitutional separation of powers, the need for the Department of Justice's investigative protections, and the vast amount of information we have provided to the Committee,” Garland said in a statement after the vote.

Republicans argue that Garland's Justice Department is being used as a weapon against them.

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