DOJ Won’t Prosecute Bill Barr, Wilbur Ross After Criminal Contempt Vote
The department said their responses to congressional subpoenas “did not constitute a crime[.]”
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
The Justice Department declined to prosecute Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross after the House of Representatives voted to hold them in contempt for not complying with subpoenas. In a Wednesday letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said the department believed their responses to the House Oversight Committee’s subpoenas, which were related to the citizenship census question, “did not constitute a crime[.]” As a result, he said he will not bring the citations before a grand jury or take any other action towards prosecution. In a 230-198 vote earlier this month, the House held the two officials in contempt for not turning over materials related to the Trump administration’s effort to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
In non-Mueller news: The Justice Dept. will not bring criminal charges against Attorney General Bill Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross after they were held in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with congressional subpoenas. pic.twitter.com/hrXgKhkuiG
— Mike Balsamo (@MikeBalsamo1) July 24, 2019
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