Attorney General Merrick Garland is facing potential contempt of Congress charges from House Republicans for not providing audio from President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur as part of an investigation into alleged mishandling of classified documents. The Department of Justice only provided redacted transcripts of the interview, leading to accusations of non-compliance and hindering of the impeachment inquiry by House GOP members.
If Garland is held in contempt of Congress, the case would be referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C. for prosecution. However, the decision to pursue a conviction against Garland would ultimately be made by U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, who reports to Garland himself.
Historically, previous U.S. attorneys did not pursue convictions against former Attorneys General Eric Holder and William Barr when they were held in contempt of Congress. It is unlikely that Garland’s own Department of Justice would seek charges against him in this situation.
While the Department of Justice seldom pursues convictions for contempt of Congress charges, recent cases against individuals like Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, who ignored subpoenas from the House Jan. 6 committee, have resulted in convictions.
Ultimately, the situation surrounding Garland’s potential contempt charges remains complex, with uncertainty about how the prosecution will proceed.
