The Justice Department has decided not to pursue a criminal case against Attorney General Merrick Garland.
This decision follows the House of Representatives’ recent vote to hold him in contempt for not complying with a congressional subpoena.
On Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) clarified that Garland’s refusal to provide audio recordings of President Joe Biden does not constitute a crime.
As a result, the DOJ will neither present the congressional contempt citation to a grand jury nor take any action to prosecute the Attorney General, according to Carlos Felipe Uriarte, an assistant attorney general.
The DOJ referenced Biden’s executive privilege over the tapes, noting their longstanding policy of not prosecuting officials who refuse to comply with a congressional subpoena in such cases. Garland is the third attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress.
