It's been rough for House Republicans to accomplish anything, but with a vote of 216-207, the House voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in Contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over tapes of an interview conducted by then Special Counsel Robert Hur with President Joe Biden during the classified documents investigation.
Only one Republican voted against it, Rep. David Joyce of Ohio.
Hur’s findings cleared Biden of wrongdoing in his handling of classified documents, but the report also said the 81-year-old president came across "as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory," and that "it would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him-by then a former president well into his eighties-of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness."
Joe Biden's weaponized Justice Department released a statement from AG Garland after the vote went through.
"It is deeply disappointing that this House of Representatives has turned a serious congressional authority into a partisan weapon. Today’s vote disregards the constitutional separation of powers, the Justice Department’s need to protect its investigations, and the substantial amount of information we have provided to the Committees.
"I will always stand up for this Department, its employees, and its vital mission to defend our democracy."
Texas congressman Chip Roy made a great point from the House floor.
"There's only one reason why the attorney general would do that. He doesn't want us to hear it. That's why," Roy said, "And there's really only two reasons why that would be the case – either the transcript doesn't match the audio, or the audio is so bad that he doesn't want us to hear it."
Despite the vote, the DOJ is not expected to take any action.
Photo: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images News / Getty Images