Washington ( CNN ) -- Bush administration lawyers who wrote `` torture '' memos have been cleared of allegations of professional misconduct after a Justice Department internal investigation , which recommends no legal consequences for their actions . The report by the Justice Department concludes the high-ranking lawyers who developed controversial legal guidance on waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques may have exercised poor judgment , but not professional misconduct . The conclusion resulted from a decision by top career Justice Department executive David Margolis to reverse a recommendation of investigators that found the two lawyers ' legal memos did constitute professional misconduct . That tentative conclusion , which was overruled by Margolis , said the lawyers should be referred to their state bar associations for potential disbarment . But in the final report , the examination of the legal guidance written by Justice Department lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee found they did not constitute a professional breach that could have led to state disbarment . The report by the Justice Department ethics office , called the Office of Professional Responsibility , also examined and cleared attorney Steven Bradbury . He headed the Office of Legal Counsel , which provided legal guidance to the executive branch during President George W. Bush 's second term . The often-delayed release of the report came late Friday after it was sent to lawmakers on the House and Senate Judiciary committees , who made the findings public . In addition to the content itself , the constantly delayed release of the politically sensitive report had become an issue . Issuance of the report was repeatedly postponed for more than a year , prompting lawmakers and civil liberties groups to press for publication of the investigation 's findings . In November , Holder told Congress the report would be made public `` by the end of the month . '' Reaction to the Justice Department investigation largely fell along party lines , with liberal Democrats unhappy with the conclusions , and highlighting criticism of the Bush Administration lawyers . `` While the report concludes the lawyers did not breach their minimal professional obligations , I certainly hold top lawyers at the Justice Department ] to a higher standard than that , as all Americans should , '' said Rep. John Conyers , D-Michigan . Conyers , who chairs the House Judiciary Committee focused on the lawyers ' `` poor judgments , '' and said , `` Today 's report makes plain that those memos were legally flawed and fundamentally unsound . '' Meanwhile , conservative lawmakers applauded the decision not to recommend action against the Bush administration officials who proposed enhanced interrogation techniques . `` It is important that future government lawyers know that their efforts to protect Americans will not be criminalized by future administrations , '' said Rep. Lamar Smith , R-Texas , the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee . `` We know that the decision of these attorneys to approve enhanced interrogation tactics in the wake of 9/11 saved lives , '' he declared .
DoJ : No professional misconduct by lawyers who wrote ` ` torture , '' and reversed recommended recommendation of lawyers for disbarment . John Marshall and John Bybee developed legal guidance on enhanced interrogation . Also cleared was James Bradbury , who headed the Office of Legal Counsel .