House squashes bid to fine Garland
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The House voted down Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's (R-Fla.)'s resolution to fine Attorney General Merrick Garland $10,000 a day for flouting a congressional subpoena.
Why it matters: The vote ended up highlighting the very GOP divisions Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was hoping to avoid showcasing, with many Republicans pointing the blame at Luna.
The big picture: Johnson ultimately voted in favor of the measure,, even though he and other critics argued the timing distracts from Democrats intra-party meltdown over whether President Biden should stay at the top of the ticket in November.
- Four Republicans joined Democrats in voting no, and the resolution failed 204-210 amid multiple Republican absences.
- The measure targets Garland for refusing to comply with a House-issued subpoena ordering that he turn over audio tapes of special counsel Robert Hur's interview with Biden.
- Johnson and others argued that Luna's proposal could undermine a House Judiciary Committee lawsuit seeking the tapes as well as a contempt resolution the House already passed last month.
Zoom in: Johnson encouraged Luna to forgo a vote during a closed-door meeting Tuesday, with GOP leaders looking to project unity ahead of next week's Republican National Convention.
- "While I fully agree with the sentiment of the resolution and voted for it, I think strategically it would have been better to wait and not step on the President's upcoming vice presidential pick and announcement," said Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.).
The other side: "In spite of what my colleagues may think, this is not a stupid idea but actually our constitutional duty and it is well within the scope of our legislative authority to assert the House's power in this manner," Luna said on the floor.
