Justice Department won't prosecute Garland for contempt, says refusal to provide audio wasn't crime

Friday, June 14, 2024 8:16PMAttorney General Merrick Garland will not be prosecuted for contempt of Congress because his refusal to turn over audio of"did not constitute a crime," the Justice Department said Friday.

The Democratic president asserted executive privilege last month, blocking the release of the audio, which the White House says Republicans want only for political purposes. Republicans were incensed when special counsel Robert Hur declined to prosecute Biden over his handling of classified documents and quickly opened an investigation. GOP lawmakers - led by Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comer - sent a subpoena for audio of Hur's interviews with Biden during the spring. But the Justice Department only turned over some of the records, leaving out audio of the interview with the president.

Executive privilege protects a president's ability to obtain candid counsel from his advisers without fear of immediate public disclosure and protects confidential communications relating to official responsibilities.Before Garland, the last attorney general held in contempt was Bill Barr in 2019. That was when the Democratically controlled House voted to issue a referral against Barr after he refused to turn over documents related to a special counsel investigation into Trump.

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