Republicans Looking To Hold Who In Contempt?

House Republicans moved forward on Thursday with a resolution targeting President Joe Biden’s former ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, accusing him of contempt of Congress for withholding records related to the special counsel investigation into Biden’s handling of classified materials.

The House Judiciary Committee, divided along party lines, voted to recommend charging Zwonitzer with contempt, setting the stage for a potential House vote on criminal contempt charges. The committee, chaired by Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, issued a subpoena to Zwonitzer in March after he refused to cooperate voluntarily. The subpoena sought documents such as audio recordings, videos, and transcripts of interviews conducted for Biden’s memoirs “Promises to Keep” (2007) and “Promise Me, Dad” (2017).

According to the resolution advanced by Republicans, Zwonitzer has withheld crucial materials pertinent to understanding allegations that Biden mishandled classified information and accusations regarding Zwonitzer’s handling of such materials. The Republican initiative marks another legal maneuver against Biden following previous actions targeting Attorney General Merrick Garland for withholding special counsel interview recordings, which were protected by executive privilege.

In response, the White House criticized the actions as politically motivated and accused Republicans of failing to engage constructively with the executive branch before pursuing Zwonitzer publicly. White House counsel Ed Siskel condemned the targeting of a private citizen for potential criminal prosecution as an abuse of governmental power for partisan gain.

The investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents stemmed from a report by special counsel Robert Hur, which highlighted lapses but concluded that no criminal charges against Biden were warranted. The report did suggest potential obstruction of justice charges against Zwonitzer for destroying interview recordings related to the investigation, though investigators recovered most of the deleted material from Zwonitzer’s laptop.

Republicans argued that further scrutiny of Zwonitzer’s access to classified materials is necessary to assess whether legislative reforms are needed regarding the handling of sensitive documents within the Executive Branch. They also emphasized that continuing the investigation would keep public attention on aspects of Hur’s report that could politically harm Biden as he seeks re-election.

Democrats on the Judiciary Committee condemned the contempt proceedings as an abuse of oversight authority and characterized them as another attempt by Republicans to distract from former President Donald Trump’s legal challenges. They accused Republicans of using aggressive tactics to intimidate a private citizen in pursuit of information that could potentially damage Biden politically.

As the controversy unfolds, it underscores the partisan divide over oversight responsibilities and the use of congressional power in investigating allegations against public officials and their associates. The outcome of the House vote on Zwonitzer’s contempt charges will likely hinge on further partisan dynamics and legal interpretations surrounding the handling of classified information and congressional oversight.