Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick voted last week to hold the head of the department that once employed him in contempt of Congress.
Fitzpatrick, a four-term Republican, was previously an FBI special agent and supervisor. The FBI falls under the U.S. Department of Justice and the attorney general.
The 216-207 vote to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt comes amidst a GOP-led initiative to secure recordings from an interview President Joe Biden had with Special Counsel Robert Hur.
Fitzpatrick’s office didn’t return a request for comment on the vote.
The controversy over the tapes centers on Biden’s handling of classified documents and subsequent discussions with Hur, who earlier this year opted not to charge the president. The special counsel report described Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.”
The vote to hold Garland in contempt follows a prolonged standoff over the recordings, which Biden has shielded under claims of executive privilege, purportedly protecting the Attorney General as well.
The Hill reported before the vote that Fitzpatrick was undecided on how he would vote.
This is not the first time a sitting attorney general has faced such congressional actions. NPR reported Garland is the third to be reprimanded by the House for defying a subpoena.
The recordings have ignited legal battles, with several news organizations and a political advocacy group filing lawsuits against the government for access to the tapes.
Several news organizations and a political group are suing the government to obtain access to the recordings.
With Biden and his GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, in advanced age and known for verbal missteps, both sides have painted their opponent as too old to serve another term. Republicans have latched onto Hur’s statement on Biden’s age.
Biden and Trump would both be into their 80s by the time a second term ended. Polling has shown many Americans have concerns over both the men’s age.
