Republican lawmakers are in a heated battle with Attorney General Merrick Garland over the release of an audio recording from President Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur. The House Judiciary Committee called Garland to a hearing on Tuesday to discuss both the audio tape and former President Trump’s recent felony conviction.

Garland has repeatedly refused to release the audio, arguing that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has already released a transcript of the interview. He believes that releasing the audio would set a dangerous precedent for future investigations and could influence the answers of witnesses in future interviews.

In his opening statement, Garland stated, “We have made clear that we will not provide audio recordings – from which the transcripts you already have were created. Releasing the audio would chill cooperation with the Department in future investigations. And it could influence witnesses’ answers if they thought the audio of their law enforcement interviews could be broadcast to Congress and the public.”

Garland also argued that the lawmakers’ demands for the audio have no legitimate purpose and are part of a broader attack on the DOJ’s work.

However, Republicans on the committee, like Rep. Dan Bishop from North Carolina, believe the audio is essential to understanding President Biden’s demeanor during the five-hour interview. They argue that the audio could reveal important information about Biden’s capacity and honesty that may not be evident in the transcript alone.

Garland responded to these concerns by saying, “None of the things you just mentioned are a legislative purpose,” and he challenged the lawmakers to suggest any law that would be affected by the audio recording.

However, one of the moments that stood out the most was when Rep. Gaetz appeared to get to Garland, causing emotional outbursts.

You can watch the intense line of questioning, and Garland was fuming.

🚨 Matt Gaetz TORCHES AG Garland on Matthew Colangelo leaving the Biden DOJ to prosecute Donald Trump:

“He made this remarkable downstream career journey from the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington DC and then pops up in Alvin Bragg’s office to get Trump..” pic.twitter.com/VqLVbB9cmm

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 4, 2024