Attorney general, FBI director to face Congress amid rising political and international tensions

Washington — Weeks after the House Judiciary Committee voted to advance a contempt of Congress resolution against him, Attorney General Merrick Garland is appearing before the panel for an oversight hearing, where he is expected to push back against the move as unfounded and serving "no legitimate purpose."

House Republicans on the Judiciary and Oversight Committees last month voted to move forward with contempt resolutions against Garland for defying their request for audio recordings from the federal probe into President Biden's handling of classified records.

The Justice Department said on the eve of the contempt vote that it could not comply with the congressional subpoena for a recording of former special counsel Robert Hur's interview with Mr. Biden because the president asserted executive privilege over the audio. Prosecutors had previously released the deposition transcript and it remains uncertain whether the contempt vote will be brought to the full House for a vote.