House to Enforce Subpoena Against Attorney General

Summary:
On Friday, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that the House will pursue legal action to enforce a subpoena against Attorney General Merrick Garland. This move comes after the Justice Department declined to prosecute Garland on a contempt of Congress charge related to a request for access to President Joe Biden’s special counsel audio interview. The DOJ cited a longstanding policy of not prosecuting officials who invoke executive privilege.
Johnson criticized the Biden Administration’s alleged two-tiered justice system, comparing it to the prosecution of Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro for similar defiance. The White House has argued that the Republican push for the audio recordings is politically motivated. Despite executive privilege being asserted by President Biden to block the release, Republicans proceeded with a contempt vote against Garland.
Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte reiterated that the DOJ would not bring the contempt citation before a grand jury, referencing similar decisions under previous presidents. The Republicans, led by Reps. Jim Jordan and James Comer, were dissatisfied with the DOJ’s partial compliance in turning over records and accused the White House of suppressing the tape to avoid political fallout.
Special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents, decided not to prosecute, citing Biden’s cooperation and memory limitations. The Justice Department’s refusal to prosecute officials like Garland is consistent with past decisions involving both Democratic and Republican administrations.