Scoop: GOP contempt report says Garland "impeded" Biden impeachment probe

• Garland and the Department of Justice has not given the audio to the House, despite a congressional subpoena.
• Republicans argue that defiance from the DOJ has interfered with the party's impeachment probe, according to a draft of the contempt report obtained by Axios.

The Hur interview with Biden quickly became a big focus for Republicans after the transcript said the president had several mental lapses during the interview.

• The recording of the Biden interview would likely be used by the GOP to paint the president, 81, as too old to be re-elected.
• Hur did not bring charges against Biden in the probe.

Zoom in: The draft contempt report argues the DOJ does not get to choose whether it gives the audio of the Biden-Hur interview to Congress.

• Not supplying lawmakers the audio "hindered the House's ability to adequately conduct oversight" of the Hur investigation and "impeded the Committees' impeachment inquiry," the report says.
• Republicans argue in the draft report that transcripts "do not reflect important verbal context, such as tone or tenor, or nonverbal context, such as pauses or pace of delivery."

The other side: The Justice Department has given the committee a number of transcripts, including Hur's interviews with Biden and a ghostwriter of one of Biden's books.

• The DOJ argues the transcripts are sufficient to comply with the subpoenas.
• It said in a letter to the House GOP last week that "The loss to law enforcement from chilling such cooperation, including audio recording, would be significant."

What's next: The House Judiciary Committee is slated to hold a markup of the contempt report against Garland next week, which is a prelude to a full House vote on contempt charges.

• House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan's (R-Ohio) team declined to comment on the story.

The DOJ also declined to comment on the draft.