Merrick Garland’s Brief House Judiciary Testimony
OAN’s Brooke Mallory
5:08 PM – Thursday, September 21, 2023
For six hours, Attorney General Merrick Garland faced intense questioning from members of the House Judiciary Committee regarding the alleged politicization of the Justice Department (DOJ) under his leadership.
The hearing on Capitol Hill began at 10:00 a.m. and stretched into the afternoon, capturing the attention of Republicans.
Garland faced tough questions about his involvement in the Hunter Biden probe, which coincided with an impeachment investigation against President Joe Biden and allegations of corruption within the Biden family.
Garland firmly asserted that he is not ”the president’s lawyer” and emphasized that the DOJ’s primary responsibility is to adhere to the facts and the law.
“I made a promise to the Senate that I would not interfere or influence the investigation,” Garland stated. “I will not discuss internal Justice Department deliberations, regardless of whether they occurred.”
Throughout his testimony, Garland repeatedly denied having discussions with special counsel David Weiss and assured that Weiss had all the necessary resources for the extensive inquiry into President Biden’s son.
However, whistleblowers testified before Congress, claiming that Weiss had previously requested special counsel authority from the Justice Department in 2022 but was denied.
Garland eventually granted Weiss the authority in August.
“Mr. Weiss requested to be made special counsel. I had promised to provide him with all the resources he needed, and I fulfilled that promise,” Garland testified.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) highlighted Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas company. Jordan also pointed out that the DOJ allowed the statute of limitations to expire on potential tax crimes committed by Hunter Biden during his time on the board.
Garland evaded Jordan’s direct questions and shifted the focus to upcoming statements by Weiss.
“Mr. Weiss was the supervisor of the investigation at all times,” Garland responded. “He made the appropriate decisions. You can ask him that question.”
“We all know why they did it,” Jordan remarked. “Everyone knows why they did it—those tax years involving the president. Having a gun charge in Delaware is one thing, but Burisma? That goes right to the White House.”
Jordan was alluding to revelations uncovered by House Republicans during their investigation into allegations of corruption against Joe Biden and his connections to his son’s business affairs.
Garland engaged in a heated exchange with Representative Jefferson Van Drew (R-N.J.) regarding the Justice Department’s handling of inquiries into Catholic and pro-life organizations.
“Do you agree that traditional Catholics are violent extremists, yes or no?” Van Drew asked, referring to an anti-Catholic memo that circulated within the FBI and led to undercover agents infiltrating Catholic churches. ”Attorney General… I ask you, do you agree that traditional Catholics are violent extremists?” Van Drew repeated his question.
“I have no idea what ‘traditional’ means in this context,” Garland responded, growing increasingly enraged. “The notion that someone with my family background would discriminate against any religion is so outrageous and absurd that you would even ask me that question.”
“It was your FBI that did this. We have the memos, we have the emails—undercover agents were sent into Catholic churches,” Van Drew maintained.
“Both the director of the FBI and I have expressed our shock at that memo,” Garland replied.
Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas) questioned Garland about the alleged targeting of parents at school board meetings and prominent pro-life organizations by the Justice Department.
Roy emphasized that the DOJ had prosecuted 126 cases against pro-life groups but only four cases against pro-choice groups during Garland’s tenure.
Roy then brought up the case of Mark Houck, a pro-life activist who was detained by heavily armed FBI agents in front of his family. Houck faced 11 years in prison for protesting outside an abortion clinic but was ultimately acquitted.
Roy also questioned why taxpayer money was spent on such a case, especially considering that the jury deliberated for only an hour before finding Houck not guilty.
“The Justice Department respects the jury’s verdict. The accusations in that case were made by agents and prosecutors on the ground,” Garland responded.
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Given the focus on the alleged politicization of the Justice Department, here are three related questions:
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland Faces Tough Questioning on Alleged Politicization of Justice Department
On September 20, 2023, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland testified before the House Judiciary Committee for six hours, answering intense questions regarding the alleged politicization of the Justice Department (DOJ) under his leadership. The hearing on Capitol Hill captured the attention of Republicans and lasted from 10:00 a.m. into the afternoon.
One of the main areas of focus was Garland’s involvement in the Hunter Biden probe, which coincided with an impeachment investigation against President Joe Biden and allegations of corruption within the Biden family. Garland firmly asserted that he is not “the president’s lawyer” and emphasized that the DOJ’s primary responsibility is to adhere to the facts and the law.
Garland stated, “I made a promise to the Senate that I would not interfere or influence the investigation. I will not discuss internal Justice Department deliberations, regardless of whether they occurred.” He repeatedly denied having discussions with special counsel David Weiss and assured that Weiss had all the necessary resources for the extensive inquiry into President Biden’s son.
However, whistleblowers testified before Congress, claiming that Weiss had previously requested special counsel authority from the Justice Department in 2022 but was denied. Garland eventually granted Weiss the authority in August.
Another point of contention arose when House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan highlighted Hunter Biden’s business dealings with Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian natural gas company. Jordan also pointed out that the DOJ allowed the statute of limitations
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