Washington — In response to a request from two Republican-led House committees, the Justice Department has declined to hand over an audio recording of a past interview between former special counsel Robert Hur and President Joe Biden.
The department stated that the committees did not provide a valid "investigative purpose" for their demand of the audio. They further accused the committees of unnecessary "escalation" and of provoking conflict "merely for the sake of conflict," as per a letter addressed to Chairs Jim Jordan and James Comer on Monday, as reported by CBS News.
Subsequently, the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees issued subpoenas for the audio recording and additional materials related to the investigation, which includes transcripts of specific interviews, following Hur's report in February concerning Mr. Biden's handling of classified records from his tenure as vice president.
Hur commenced his year-long investigation subsequent to the discovery of documents containing classified markings in Mr. Biden's residence and workplace. Despite choosing not to pursue legal actions in this regard, Hur did critique the president's maintenance of records and expressed disapproval of the president's recollection during an interview with investigators in October 2023.
In a recent development, the Justice Department failed to meet the deadline to provide congressional investigators with the audio recording of the president's two-day interview from October. Although the transcript of the ghostwriter's interview was submitted, the audio recording was not included by the Monday deadline.
Assistant Attorney General Carolos Uriarte expressed the importance for the Department to understand the necessity of the remaining information in the files requested by the Committees. He mentioned in his letter that the Justice Department had made significant efforts to respond to the congressional requests and had already provided a substantial amount of information promptly.
Uriarte expressed the Justice Department's concerns regarding Jordan and Comer's requests for the audio version of the interview. Despite already having reviewed a transcript, the Department believed that the requests were driven by political motives that should not influence the handling of law enforcement files.
Handing over the audio files to Congress, as stated on Monday, could potentially have a "chilling" effect on future investigations if witnesses became apprehensive about the possibility of their interview recordings being made public.
Upon issuing subpoenas in February, Republican members of Congress asserted that they required access to all requested materials, including the audio recording, to oversee Hur's investigation and further scrutinize President Biden's actions.
Subsequently, they accused federal authorities of withholding pertinent information and warned Attorney General Merrick Garland of potential contempt proceedings.
CBS News has contacted the relevant committees for additional input on the Justice Department's letter. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to provide a comment.
The former special counsel's depiction of Mr. Biden's memory sparked a backlash from the president and his supporters. Mr. Biden fired back
The transcript of Hur's October interview with Mr. Biden was unveiled just before Hur's congressional testimony last month, offering a more comprehensive view of their five-hour discussion. While Mr. Biden did have trouble recalling certain dates and words, he also remembered numerous specific details from years past.
