In a sharply worded letter, the Department of Justice informed Speaker Mike Johnson that it would not prosecute Attorney General Merrick Garland for contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over an audio file of President Joe Biden’s deposition in his classified documents case.
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“Consistent with this longstanding position and uniform practice, the Department has determined that the responses by Attorney General Garland to the subpoenas issued by the Committees did not constitute a crime, and accordingly the Department will not bring the congressional contempt citation before a grand jury or take any other action to prosecute the Attorney General,” the Justice Department said.
The letter delivered to Speaker Johnson on Friday follows a 216-207 vote in favor of contempt charges by the House of Representatives.
BACKGROUND:
