The U.S. Justice Department informed House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday that it will not pursue criminal contempt charges against Attorney General Merrick Garland. This decision follows a House vote along party lines to hold Garland in contempt for not providing audio recordings of a special counsel interview with President Joe Biden.
The Justice Department’s decision is consistent with its stance in previous cases involving former attorneys general Eric Holder and William Barr, where similar contempt charges were declined.
Johnson expressed disagreement with the Justice Department’s decision and stated that House Republicans will seek to enforce the subpoena against Garland in federal court.
The Justice Department cited its long-standing policy of not pursuing criminal prosecutions for congressional contempt when the White House asserts executive privilege, a doctrine protecting certain communications. The White House previously claimed privilege over the recordings, and the Justice Department argued that disclosing them could impede future investigations.
The department has already provided a transcript of Biden’s interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur, whose investigation into Biden’s retention of classified records did not result in prosecution.
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