Luna Threatens Second Vote to Arrest Garland, Fine Him Over Biden Tapes

Republican Rep. Anna Luna threatens to force a second vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt and fine him $10,000 per day for refusing to release audio tapes of President Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur.

Republican Rep. Anna Luna (R-Fla.) is threatening to force a second vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress and fine him $10,000 per day for refusing to release audio tapes of President Biden's interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur.

Luna announced her intentions on Friday, saying that she would file a new resolution to hold Garland in inherent contempt and fine him for the tapes. She plans to declare the measure "privileged" when the House reconvenes on July 8, forcing a vote within two legislative days.

Luna Threatens Second Vote to Arrest Garland, Fine Him Over Biden Tapes

Luna's move comes after a disastrous debate performance by Biden against former President Donald Trump last week. Biden's weak performance has raised concerns among some Republicans and even Democrats about his fitness for office.

House Republicans, who have long held that Biden is not mentally fit for office, voted to hold Garland in contempt last month for refusing to turn over the audio tapes. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has refused to prosecute, citing Biden's decision to call executive privilege over the tapes.

Luna Threatens Second Vote to Arrest Garland, Fine Him Over Biden Tapes

Biden has argued that the full transcript of the interview is already available and that the GOP effort is solely partisan.

Republicans, however, argue that the tapes would provide necessary context about Biden's mental acuity that could not be gleaned from the transcript.

Luna Threatens Second Vote to Arrest Garland, Fine Him Over Biden Tapes

The House GOP also sued Garland on Monday to obtain the tapes, with the lawsuit being led by House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Luna informed colleagues last week that she intends to force a vote on holding Garland in inherent contempt. The little-known maneuver, not used since the 1930s, would direct the House sergeant-at-arms to detain Garland for a House-led trial. It's never been invoked on a Cabinet official, but the Supreme Court upheld Congress' ability to use it in 1935.

Luna's move is unlikely to succeed. The DOJ has refused to prosecute Garland, and the Supreme Court has ruled that the President has executive privilege. However, it could further escalate tensions between the Biden administration and Congress.

The White House has not commented on Luna's threat.