DOJ decides not to charge Garland for defying Congress.
The Justice Department has announced that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland will not face prosecution for contempt of Congress. This decision comes after the House voted to hold Garland in contempt for not releasing the audio of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur.
In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte stated, “the Department has determined that the responses by Attorney General Garland to the subpoenas did not constitute a crime, and accordingly the Department will not pursue any action against him.”
This is not the first time the DOJ has declined to prosecute an Attorney General for contempt. In 2019, then-Attorney General Bill Barr was also spared from charges after a similar vote by the House.
Uriarte explained that the DOJ provided Hur’s report to lawmakers without redactions and facilitated his testimony before Congress. Transcripts of Biden’s interview with Hur were also handed over, along with other relevant materials.
Despite these efforts, House Republicans pushed for the release of the audio, arguing that it could shed light on Biden’s state of mind during the interview. The vote to hold Garland in contempt passed 216-207, with only Republican Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio voting against.
On the other hand, Democrats have criticized the request for the audio as a partisan move to undermine the DOJ’s integrity.
Special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation found no grounds for criminal charges against Biden regarding the handling of classified documents. However, Hur noted that Biden appeared as an elderly man with a poor memory, making it challenging to convince a jury to convict him of a serious felony.
Following the House vote, Garland expressed disappointment, stating that the action disregarded the constitutional separation of powers and undermined the Justice Department’s mandate to protect its investigations.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is now preparing for a vote on a resolution regarding contempt of Congress against Garland. The situation continues to evolve, so stay tuned for updates.
