President Joe Biden on Thursday morning asserted executive privilege over the recordings of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur regarding classified documents, hours before House Republicans were set to take their first step toward holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over the audio recordings. ...

Ahead of the markups, Biden asserted executive privilege over the recordings, according to a letter from the Justice Department to House Republicans.

“I write to inform you that the President has asserted executive privilege over the requested audio recordings and is making a protective assertion of privilege over any remaining materials responsive to the subpoenas that have not already been produced,” Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs, Carlos Uriarte, said in the letter Thursday.