In a recent development, the Justice Department has announced that it will not prosecute U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland for contempt, according to a letter sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday. The decision comes after the House voted on Wednesday to hold Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to provide audio recordings of President Biden's interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

Assistant Attorney General Carlos Felipe Uriarte, in the letter to Johnson, stated that the Department has determined that Garland's responses to the subpoenas issued by the Committees did not constitute a crime. Therefore, the Department will not present the congressional contempt citation before a grand jury or pursue any other action against the Attorney General.

Uriarte further highlighted that the Department had already provided lawmakers with Hur's report, without any additional redactions, and facilitated his congressional testimony. Transcripts of Hur's interview with President Biden, along with other relevant materials, were also produced by the Department.

The decision not to prosecute Garland comes amid ongoing debates between House Republicans and Democrats regarding the release of the audio recordings. House Republicans believed that the recordings could provide essential context about Biden's state of mind, while Democrats dismissed the request as a partisan effort to politicize the Department of Justice.

During the special counsel investigation, Hur concluded that no criminal charges were warranted in President Biden's handling of classified documents. However, he noted that Biden presented himself as an elderly individual with a poor memory, making it difficult to convince a jury to convict him of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.

Following the House vote, Attorney General Garland expressed disappointment, stating that the House had used its authority as a "partisan weapon." He emphasized the need to protect both the Justice Department's investigations and the substantial amount of information already provided to the Committees.

As of now, there has been no comment from Johnson's office on the recent developments. The story is still unfolding, and further updates are expected.

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