U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland at risk of being held in contempt of Congress [Video]

WASHINGTON –

Merrick Garland is at risk of becoming the third attorney general in U.S. history to be held in contempt of Congress as Republicans move to punish the Justice Department for refusing to turn over audio related to President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents.

Contempt is one of U.S. lawmakers’ politically messiest and, until recent years, least-used powers. It is a tool that the House and the Senate can employ either to coerce compliance with a subpoena or to remove any obstruction from an ongoing investigation.

By approving a contempt resolution, the House would effectively be recommending that Garland be prosecuted. And recent cases against allies of former President Donald Trump including Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro have proved that a contempt resolution is far from symbolic, creating the basis for a case that can sometimes hold up in court.

Here’s what to know about the contempt fight with Garland …