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☆ Key House panels set to advance contempt proceedings against Garland over Biden audio files
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —House Republicans will take their first step towards holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress on Thursday for refusing to turn over the audio recordings of special counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with President Joe Biden. The House Oversight and Judiciary committees will each hold markups on their respective reports recommending a contempt of Congress resolution against Garland for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena. If passed out of the committees, the resolutions would next go to the House floor for a vote by the whole chamber. While Hur’s probe led to no charges against the president, Republicans have seized on Hur’s description of Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” in his final report. DOJ has also outlined distinct privacy concerns related to an audio recording of an interview compared to a written transcript, and how the release of such an audio file could dissuade cooperation from future witnesses in criminal investigations.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Robert Hur’s, Joe Biden, Garland, Hur, Biden, Mark Zwonitzer, Carlos Uriarte, ” Uriarte, “, , Donald Trump Organizations: CNN — House Republicans, of Justice, Republicans, CNN, DOJ, House Republicans, Republican, ” Republicans Locations: New York City

☆ Justice Department rebuffs Republican requests for audio of Biden interview with special counsel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Annie Grayer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Department of Justice doubled down on its decision to not release the audio files of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur to House Republicans, stating that Republicans have not established a legitimate legislative purpose for demanding these recordings, in a new letter obtained by CNN. The DOJ’s refusal to turn over the audio comes as Republicans find their impeachment inquiry into the president stalled now that the prospects of the investigation ending in impeachment are increasingly unlikely. Without the votes in their narrow majority or evidence of an impeachable offense, Republicans are now struggling with how to end their probe. Uriarte pointed to the possibility that audio files can be manipulated through “cutting, erasing, and splicing” in a way that increases the privacy concerns of the witness. Uriarte therefore accused Republicans of going after these audio files for the wrong reasons.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Robert Hur, Carlos Uriarte, James Comer, Jim Jordan, General Merrick Garland, Hur, Mark Zwonitzer, Uriarte, Biden, ” Uriarte, spokespeople, Comer, Jordan, “, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Zwonitzer, ” Organizations: CNN, Department, Justice, House Republicans, Republicans, DOJ, Ukrainian, Fox News, “

☆ Fact check: Biden makes three false claims about his handling of classified information
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Daniel Dale | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Where the classified material was storedBiden sought to contrast his handling of classified material with that of former President Donald Trump, who faces felony charges for willfully retaining classified documents. According to the special counsel, even classified documents Biden was storing elsewhere in his home were insufficiently secure. Hur wrote that Biden notebooks containing classified information from his vice presidency were found by investigators in “unlocked drawers in the office and basement den” of the home. The classification level of the documents Biden had in his possessionBiden claimed of the documents he possessed: “None of it was high classified. Biden shared information, including some classified information, from those notebooks with his ghostwriter.” He elaborated that Biden shared classified information with his ghostwriter by reading “nearly verbatim” from his notebooks “on at least three occasions,” including his “notes from meetings in the Situation Room.”Hur did find, however, that Biden “at times” tried to avoid sharing classified information, by stopping at or skipping over certain material from the notebooks.

Persons: Joe Biden, Robert Hur, Biden, Hur’s, Donald Trump, Hur, Trump, “, Ian Sams, ” Sams, CNN’s MJ Lee, ”, Sams, weren’t, Barack Obama, ” Hur, Obama, Mr, Mark Zwonitzer, Afghanistan –, CNN’s Nikki Carvajal Organizations: CNN, ”, White, National Security, SCI, Mr, FISA, Virginia, National Security Council Locations: Lago, Biden’s Delaware, Afghanistan, Virginia, United States, “, Iraq, Delaware

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden worked so closely with the ghostwriter with whom he is accused of sharing classified secrets that he once declared that he'd trust the author with his life. Mark Zwonitzer worked with Biden on two memoirs, 2007's “Promises to Keep” and “Promise Me, Dad," which was published 10 years later. But it also says that Zwonitzer offered explanations for his deletions and made available transcripts of the recordings. In 2006, when he wanted to begin work on what became his first memoir, Biden contacted Zwonitzer, who was Ben Cramer’s researcher and partner on “What it Takes." After opting not to run for president in 2015, Biden again contacted Zwonitzer and the two reunited to work on “Promise Me, Dad.”

Persons: Joe Biden, Mark Zwonitzer, Biden, Robert Hur, Zwonitzer, Hur, ”, ” Zwonitzer, ” Biden, “, Dad ”, ” Richard Ben, Ben Cramer’s Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Republican Locations: Virginia, Delaware

☆ Wyoming Republicans are criticizing a child marriage bill that seeks to raise the legal age to 18. It's sponsored by one of their own party members.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A new bill seeks to set a minimum age of 18 with an exception for 16 and 17-year-olds. The Wyoming Republican Party sent an email Thursday raising "concerns about constitutional rights." The bill is sponsored by Rep. Dan Zwonitzer, a Republican, and would raise the state's legal marriage age to 18 years old. The Wyoming Republican Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rep. Mike Yin, a Democrat, tweeted a copy of the Wyoming Republican Party email on Thursday and accused the group of wanting children to get married "full stop."

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