Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is pursuing serious action against Attorney General Merrick Garland after the Justice Department refused to arrest him for refusing to turn over audio tapes of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with President Joe Biden.
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Congress held Garland in contempt after Garland’s refusal.
During a Sunday appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” host Maria Bartiromo asked Luna about the DOJ’s decision not to prosecute Garland for contempt of Congress and what Congress has planned in response.
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Department of Justice to Speaker Johnson: No Prosecution of Merrick Garland for Contempt of Congress
Luna explained that she “introduced a resolution for something called inherent contempt of Congress” a few months ago because she “anticipated that the Department of Justice would not do their job.”
“And what that allows Congress to do is really be the punitive arm and really hold Garland accountable by using the sergeant at arms to essentially go and get him as well as the tapes, bring him to the House, and really be a check and balance on the Department of Justice. Again, this hasn’t been done since the early 1900s, but that vote will be coming to the floor. And hopefully we will be able to bring some accountability. I know that if this goes to courts, as Johnson has stated, that’s really going to get stuck there. It’s not going to do anything. And the American people deserve more than strongly worded letters. I think we’re all frustrated. And so, again, we’re hoping to bring that accountability.”
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The lawmaker announced her intention to push a vote on the resolution during another appearance on Fox News last week.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is vowing to force a vote on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s arrest if the Department of Justice (DOJ) fails to act on a criminal contempt resolution backed by House GOP leaders.
Luna told Fox News Digital on Tuesday evening that she would plan to force a vote on her “inherent contempt” resolution against Garland after the full House of Representatives weighs the Biden official’s fate with a separate measure.
“As of right now, we fully intend to bring it,” Luna revealed. “I don’t really have much faith in the Department of Justice. And I don’t think the American people do either. But we are trying to bring back a level playing field and show that, you know, there should be accountability all the way up to the top.”
She added, “If the DOJ won’t do their jobs, we’re going to do it for them.”
Inherent contempt differs from the contempt resolution expected to come up for a vote Wednesday afternoon. Whereas the latter would refer Garland to his own department for criminal charges, inherent contempt, if passed, would direct the House sergeant at arms to arrest Garland himself.
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At the center of the matter is Hur’s bombshell report on his investigation into President Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents. In the report, he seemed to confirm suspicions about the president’s cognitive decline, an issue concerning many among the voting base.