The House Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over audio recordings of special counsel Robert K. Hur’s interviews with President Biden over his mishandling of classified documents.

The GOP-led panel cited Mr. Garland with contempt in an 18-15 vote hours after the president sought to shield his attorney general from the charge by asserting executive privilege over the audio tapes, which were recorded by Mr. Hur during his two-day interview with Mr. Biden in October.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, Ohio Republican said the last-minute executive privilege assertion by the president underscores the “unique perspective” the recordings offer and that the panel seeks to review to determine whether Mr. Biden received favorable treatment by his Justice Department.

“This latest invocation does not change the fact that the attorney general has not complied with our subpoena,” Mr. Jordan said.

The measure now moves to a vote before the GOP-led House. If the House passes it, the contempt resolution will be referred to the Justice Department.

Individuals prosecuted and convicted of a contempt citation face a fine of up to $100,000 and imprisonment “for not less than one month nor more than 12 months.” But Mr. Garland, who oversees the department, is likely to ignore it.

Mr. Garland has refused to provide Congress the audio recording of Mr. Hur’s interview with Mr. Biden regarding his mishandling of classified documents he took while vice president and dating back to his time as a senator.

He’s also denied House lawmakers the audio recordings of Mr. Hur’s interview with Mark Zwonitzer, the ghostwriter for Mr. Biden’s 2017 memoir, “Promise Me, Dad.”

• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.