It’s turning into the can’t-miss event of the summer…
According to a report from The Post Millennial, television networks ABC, CBS, NBC and news organizations the Associated Press, Bloomberg, CNN, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, and Univision have joined on to a FOIA request for the release of the Biden-Hur recordings.
The media outlets want all audio and video recordings of Hur’s five-hour interview with Biden. The original request was filed by Judicial Watch and the Heritage Foundation.
“These recordings will help the public evaluate Hur’s decision not to charge Biden and to close the investigation into classified documents found at Biden’s former office and private residence,” the suit stated.
“In particular, they will shed light on Hur’s controversial characterization of Biden as an ‘elderly man with a poor memory,’ which Hur claimed would make it ‘difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him.’”
The outlets claim the transcript “has made it possible for the press and public to somewhat assess Hur’s description of Biden for themselves,” but transcripts are “no substitute for recordings, which reveal ‘intonations, hesitancies, inflection, and voice of tone.'”
“Those qualities amount to ‘a substantial part of the real record,’ which is completely ‘lost to public scrutiny’ when only a transcript is released.”
Last week, the Biden White House asserted Executive Privilege in order to keep the Hur recordings under wraps and protect AG Merick Garland from House Oversight and Judiciary Committee subpoenas. As it stands now, Garland can not be held in contempt.
Associate Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote a letter to committee chairs Jim Jordan and James Comer last week…
“I write to inform you that the President has asserted executive privilege over the requested audio recordings and is making a protective assertion of privilege over any remaining materials responsive to the subpoenas that have not already been produced.”
That covers Garland too, apparently…
“It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administrations of both parties that an official who asserts the President’s claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress.”
Will the media pressure force the White House to release the tapes?
