GOP's 'inherent contempt' gambit for Merrick Garland killed by Republican defectors

The House held its vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in "inherent contempt" on Thursday, but it was the party's own members who helped defeat it, Punchbowl's Jake Sherman said on X.

The final screen of the C-SPAN vote showed four Republicans who voted against the measure and 12 Republicans who didn't vote at all.

If passed, Garland would be fined $10,000 per day that he refused to comply with the congressional subpoena.

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Among the issues Republicans are upset about is that Garland turned over a transcript of President Joe Biden's interview with a special counsel investigating his handling of classified documents, but wouldn't turn over the audio tape of the interview.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) pushed the bill. Her party urged her to hold off on passage until next week, but she refused, and the measure failed.

The inherent contempt power could also allow Republicans to send U.S. Marshals to arrest Garland and imprison him.