DOJ won't prosecute Garland for Contempt of Congress

On Friday, the Justice Department (DOJ) issued a determination that Biden's Attorney General Merrick Garland committed no crime when he refused to honor the subpoena of Congress and hand over the of President Joseph R. Biden's (D) conversation with special counsel Robert Hur.

Based on that conversation, Hur determined that while Biden "willfully" retained and disclosed highly classified materials from his vice presidency with a ghost writer when he was a private citizen; his memory was "significantly limited" and he could not recall important events in his life including when he was vice president or when his son, Beau, died. His confusion and state of mental decline were such that Hur declined to prosecute Biden for the mishandling of documents.

The 345-page report detailed Hur's findings was made public; but the Whitehouse maintains that the tape of Hur's interview is privileged. AG Merrick Garland, who serves at the pleasure of the President, agrees. Garland cited executive privilege when he refused to honor the subpoena by the House Judiciary Committee. As a result Congress found Garland in contempt of Congress.

On Friday, the Department of Justice (which is headed by Garland) issued the determination that Garland cannot and won't be prosecuted for the contempt of Congress charge. Republicans charged the Garland Justice Department with hypocrisy as it did charge – and convict – Trump Whitehouse aides Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro for contempt of Congress for their refusal to testify and hand over documents to the now defunct special committee investigating January 6th. Bannon has been ordered to report to prison on July 1 and Navarro is already incarcerated.

Republicans maintain that since being elected Biden and his allies, including Garland, have "weaponized" the court system against Republicans.

Former State Representative Perry O. Hooper Jr. (R-Montgomery) is the former 2016 Trump Victory chair and is a frequent political commentator whose columns have been published in numerous publications across Alabama and beyond.

"In an unbelievable display of arrogance and hypocrisy, the Justice Department has once again shown its true colors by refusing to prosecute Attorney General Merrick Garland for contempt of Congress," Hooper told the Alama Gazette. "Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro faced the full wrath of the DOJ for the same charge. But now, when it's their own boss under the microscope, the rule of law is ignored."

Hooper questioned if the agency headed by Garland, was even the authority to make this decision.

"Let's cut through the bureaucratic doublespeak: if the DOJ won't hold Garland accountable, it's time to bring in a special counsel," said Hooper. "The double standard here is as clear as day, and it reeks of the swamp protecting its own. This isn't about politics; it's about upholding the very principles that form the foundation of our republic. No one is above the law-not even the Attorney General. The refusal to prosecute Garland destroys the credibility of the Justice Department. We need an independent investigation, free from the influence of the very individuals it seeks to scrutinize."

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