As House Republicans move to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to hand over the audio tapes of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interviews with President Joe Biden, the White House Counsel has notified two House committee chairmen President Biden is invoking executive privilege on those tapes.

“The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal—to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes,” White House Counsel Edward Siskel wrote in his letter to Republican Chairmen Jim Comer and Jim Jordan, as Politico reported. “Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.”

Siskel also reminded the chairs that the Dept. of Justice has already provided them with the transcripts of the interviews, and noted “the Attorney General has warned that the disclosure of materials like these audio recordings risks harming future law enforcement investigations by making it less likely that witnesses in high-profile investigations will voluntarily cooperate.”

The White House Counsel also unleashed strong criticism of the House chairmen’s prior actions, as proof of what he says is their likely goal.

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“Rather than demonstrating respect for the rule of law, this contempt proceeding is just the latest in the Committees’ damaging efforts to undermine the very independence and impartiality of the Department of Justice and criminal justice system that President Biden seeks to protect. Your subpoenas and contempt threats come in the wake of the Committees’ efforts to go after prosecutors you do not like, attack witnesses in cases you disapprove of, and demand information from ongoing investigations and prosecutions, despite longstanding norms that these law enforcement processes should be allowed to play out free from such political interference.”

House Republicans for the past week have taken rotating shifts to show support for indicted ex-president Donald Trump at the courthouse where his trial on 34 felony charges is being held. House and Senate Republicans, and even the Speaker of the House, at various times have attacked the judicial system, witnesses, the judge, his daughter, and the District Attorney.

Siskel closes his letter with an apparent accusation of “improper threats.”

“The President will continue to protect the rule of law, and his Administration will continue to work in good faith to accommodate Congress’s legitimate interests, while standing up to improper threats to the independence of the nation’s justice system.”

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Attorney General Garland appointed Robert Hur, a former Trump-era U.S. Attorney, to become a special counsel and head the investigation into President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents when he was a Vice President. While Hur found no evidence of criminal conduct and declined to press charges, his highly-controversial and, according to Democrats, highly-politicized 345-page report, was fodder for the media and congressional Republicans for weeks.

At one point in the report Hur described President Biden as “a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” while, in a transcript of his interview with the President, the special counsel told him he appeared to have “photographic” recall. Those details were the subject of a tense exchange when Hur testified before Congress.

Swalwell: You said to President Biden, “you appear to have a photographic understanding and recall.” Did you say that?

Hur: Those words do appear in the transcript

Swalwell: Never appeared in your report

Hur: It does not appear in my report pic.twitter.com/jKJA6HCesd

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 12, 2024

CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen, a former U.S. Ambassador and a special counsel for ethics and government reform under President Barack Obama, says he supports President Biden’s move.

“I handled executive privilege assertions as Special Counsel in WH & for Congress,” Eisen writes on social media. “Witness interviews are some of the most sensitive materials & DOJ commonly protects.”

“I agree with Exec[utive] Priv[ilege] call here.”

He notes the “Hur investigation is done & dusted, with NO finding of criminality.”

“Special Counsel report was already subject of mischief.”

Watch the video above or at this link.

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U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Fox News Business host Larry Kudlow are promoting a false, fearmongering conspiracy theory President Joe Biden will be handing out green cards to undocumented immigrants in an effort to help them vote. Their remarks come as ex-president Donald Trump, running to retake the White House, has amped up his anti-immigrant focus.

Kudlow on Wednesday said he worries “a lot” that President Biden will be giving green cards to undocumented immigrants who will use them to vote. Senator Blackburn agreed, telling the former Trump National Economic Council Director, “they’re gonna try to vote.”

Green card holders are not U.S. citizens, and only U.S. citizens can vote, with a handful of exceptions in local jurisdictions, but only U.S, citizens can vote in federal elections. Presenting a green card as “proof” of citizenship in states that require it to vote would have the exact opposite effect, proving ineligibility.

Kudlow and Blackburn falsely suggested both undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers who are legally in the United States, may be voting using green cards, with Sen. Blackburn increasing the fearmongering by falsely implying all undocumented immigrants are dangerous.

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“I mean, I don’t know, is Biden – he’s not going to address any of that,” Kudlow told Blackburn. “He’s not going to really reform asylum policy. He’s gonna give everybody [a] green card. That’s my biggest concern. As you probably know, ma’am, you know, you have a green card or some kind of temporary visa, you might use it to vote. You might use it to vote, even though you’re not a citizen. That worries me a lot.”

“Well, it should,” the Tennessee Republican who has a history of fear-mongering, and has been accused of promoting white Christian nationalism, told Kudlow.

“These are really bad people and your audience needs to think of this in terms of the population of a city of that size, of one and a half million people, and then you’re so right there,” Blackburn said. “This administration is saying we’re going to give you IDs this summer. We’re going to give you work permits if you’re a[n asylum] parolee, what are they gonna do, they’re gonna try to vote.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kudlow replied.

Watch below or at this link.

Larry Kudlow says Biden will give migrants green cards: “You have a green card or some kind of temporary visa … you might use it to vote, even though you’re not a citizen. That worries me a lot.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn agrees.

Green card means you’re *not* a citizen, can’t vote. pic.twitter.com/HgoCwDfaQu

— Eric Kleefeld (@EricKleefeld) May 15, 2024

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The Biden campaign on Wednesday proposed a series of two debates with very specific rules, including shutting off the microphone of the candidate not answering a question, and Donald Trump quickly accepted the invitations, including the stipulations, before turning around and proposing an additional series of debates.

In a stinging response the Biden campaign rejected Trump’s proposal.

“Donald Trump has a long history of playing games with debates: complaining about the rules, breaking those rules, pulling out at the last minute, or not showing up at all – which he’s done repeatedly in all three cycles he’s run for president,” said Biden-Harris 2024 Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon in a statement received by NCRM. “He said he would debate President Biden anytime, anywhere, anyplace. In fact, he’s said and posted it dozens of times with varying degrees of comprehension and basic grammar. President Biden made his terms clear for two one-on-one debates, and Donald Trump accepted those terms. No more games. No more chaos, no more debate about debates. We’ll see Donald Trump on June 27th in Atlanta – if he shows up.”

Politico warned Wednesday afternoon the “agreement does not ensure that either of the debates will happen. In fact, shortly after the campaigns agreed to two debates, the Trump campaign proposed two more.”

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Early Wednesday morning President Joe Biden posted a video to social media, saying, “Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate. Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again. Well, make my day, pal. I’ll even do it twice.”

Biden also ridiculed Trump’s schedule, which currently has him in court four days a week.

“I hear you’re free on Wednesdays,” Biden mocked.

Donald Trump lost two debates to me in 2020. Since then, he hasn’t shown up for a debate.

Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again.

Well, make my day, pal. pic.twitter.com/AkPmvs2q4u

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 15, 2024

Barely hours later, Biden, keeping the same tone, posted to social media: “I’ve also received and accepted an invitation to a debate hosted by ABC on Tuesday, September 10th. Trump says he’ll arrange his own transportation. I’ll bring my plane, too. I plan on keeping it for another four years.”

Trump on his social media website wrote, “It is my great honor to accept the CNN Debate against Crooked Joe Biden, the WORST PRESIDENT in the History of the United States and a true Threat to Democracy, on June 27th. Likewise, I accept the ABC News Debate against Crooked Joe on September 10th. Thank you, DJT!”

Also on his Truth Social page Wednesday, Trump had written, “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds – That’s only because he doesn’t get them. Just tell me when, I’ll be there. ‘Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!'”

CNN’s Kristin Holmes reported Wednesday afternoon the Trump campaign is “a little bit irked right now, the fact that Joe Biden somehow took over the debate narrative despite the fact that Donald Trump has been using this as a narrative at all his campaign rallies.”

Holmes: Talking to Trump’s senior advisers and those in his orbit, they’re a little bit irked right now, the fact that Joe Biden somehow took over the debate narrative… pic.twitter.com/uqK8AfXNXS

— Acyn (@Acyn) May 15, 2024

Watch the videos above or at this link.

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