US attorney general will not be prosecuted for contempt of Congress

Attorney General Merrick Garland will not be prosecuted (Susan Walsh/AP)

US attorney general Merrick Garland will not be prosecuted for contempt of Congress because his refusal to turn over audio of President Joe Biden’s interview in his classified documents case “did not constitute a crime”, the Justice Department said.

The department’s decision was revealed in a letter to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, citing the agency’s “longstanding position and uniform practice” to not prosecute officials who do not comply with subpoenas because of a president’s claim of executive privilege.