GOP’s tug of war over Merrick Garland

The big picture: Multiple sources said Johnson expressed concerns about Luna's proposal, which would fine Garland $10,000 a day for flouting a congressional subpoena, during a Tuesday morning conference meeting.

• Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) among others raised concerns, according to the sources, with some Republicans urging Luna to at least wait until after next week's GOP convention.
• "I also don't know why you'd make Garland the bogeyman right now ... Biden is doing a pretty good job all on his own," Armstrong said.
• But Luna appeared undeterred; In a Tuesday afternoon tweet, she indicated she still planned to force a vote Wednesday.

Zoom out: Luna's campaign is playing out against the backdrop of Democrats' internal reckoning over whether Biden should remain at the top of the ticket following his disastrous June 27 debate performance and subsequent questions about his mental acuity.

• Trump has kept an uncharacteristically low profile since the debate, and Johnson's argument against shifting the focus to the Garland dovetails with that approach.
• Johnson made clear that his objections were not about the substance of Luna's proposal, telling reporters, "If it's brought to the floor, I'll vote for it."

The other side: Luna has argued that the GOP needs to do everything possible get the tapes, arguing that they could offer further insight into the 81-year old president's ability to serve.

• She watered down her resolution in a bid to gain more support: Her initial measure would have sent the chamber's sergeant-at-arms to arrest Garland.

The bottom line: No Democrats are expected to support the measure, and a number of vulnerable Republicans also could oppose it, meaning it could end up failing on the floor.