Garland denounces attacks on Justice Department, tells lawmakers: ‘I am not intimidated’

WASHINGTON: Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday rebuked Republicans for unprecedented attacks on the Justice Department, and told lawmakers who have tried to hold him in contempt that he “will not be intimidated.”

Appearing before a House panel led by allies of former President Donald Trump, Garland denounced claims that the department was behind the state court prosecution of Trump in New York that indicted the former president last week on 34 felony charges. And he railed against what he called “baseless and extremely dangerous falsehoods” being spread about law enforcement.

Garland’s unusually fiery testimony amounted to a forceful defense of the Justice Department’s independence and integrity at an unprecedented moment when it is prosecuting both Trump and President Joe Biden’s son. Amid the onslaught from Trump and his Republican allies, Garland said his agency would not waver in its commitment to upholding the rule of law.

Garland called the Republican effort to hold him for contempt the latest in a “long series of attacks” on the Justice Department. Garland told lawmakers those attacks “have not, and will not, impact” the department’s decision-making.

“I will not be intimidated,” Garland said. “And the Justice Department will not be intimidated. We will continue to do our work free from political influence. And we will not back down from defending our democracy.”

Republicans used the House Judiciary Committee hearing to claim President Biden has weaponized the department to go after Trump while Biden’s son Hunter is on trial on federal firearms charges in Delaware. Trump — who is charged in two criminal cases brought by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith — has portrayed himself as the victim of a politically motivated legal system working to deny him another term.

Garland described the unsubstantiated claim that the Justice Department was involved in the New York case against Trump as “an assault on the judicial process itself.” And he also criticized Trump’s distorted claim that FBI agents searching his Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022 were “authorized to shoot” him and were “fully prepared” to kill him.

Garland at one point became emotional and folded his hands on the desk in front of him when asked about the department’s role in upholding the rule of law.

“I’ve devoted my entire career to making sure that the rule of law is the rule that the Justice Department and the courts apply — that we follow precedent, that we treat similar cases the same, that we don’t have enemies or friends, that we don’t look at political parties or money, or power, or influence in the people that we’re investigating,” Garland said.

His appearance comes as Republicans have accused him of contempt for the administration’s refusal to hand over audio of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, which focused on the president’s handling of classified documents.

The transcript of Biden’s interview has been made public, but the president last month blocked its release by claiming executive privilege over the audio. The White House has said Republican lawmakers only want the audio so they can edit it and use it for political purposes.

Meanwhile, Republicans have accused Biden of trying to suppress the audio because he doesn’t want the public to hear it before the election. In his report concluding that Biden should not face charges for handling classified documents, Hur wrote that the 81-year-old president would likely present himself to the jury as “a sympathetic, well-intentioned, elderly man with a short memory.”

The Justice Department has argued that witnesses may be less likely to cooperate if they know their interviews can be heard by the public. Garland told lawmakers he would not “jeopardize the ability of our prosecutors and agents to do their jobs effectively in future investigations.”

Since Trump was convicted last week in a hush-money bribery case, Trump and Republicans have stepped up their attacks on the criminal justice system, criticizing prosecutors, the judge and the jury. Trump and his allies have suggested that the state case, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a state-level prosecutor, was fabricated by Biden.

Shortly after the hearing began, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a “three-pronged” plan to address what he described as the “weaponization” of the justice system against Trump. According to the Louisiana Republican, this approach would seek to circumvent the authority of the Justice Department and local prosecutors in the Trump case through legislation, funding and oversight.

In his opening statement, Rep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the committee, criticized Garland for a broad range of politically motivated decisions made by federal law enforcement — including the findings of various special counsels that Trump criminally mishandled classified documents while Biden did not.

“Many Americans believe there’s a double standard in our justice system now. They believe that because there is,” Jordan said.

Garland vigorously pushed back against Republicans’ questions, saying they were based on false premises, and Republicans at some points appeared frustrated by his refusal to engage in extensive debate. When, at one point, Garland asked for the ability to finish his answer, Rep. Andy Biggs, a conservative Arizona Republican, refused because he was “unresponsive.”

But the attorney general also appeared uncomfortable with some friendly questions from Democrats who tried to underscore the Justice Department’s independence by discussing specific cases. Garland repeatedly refused to answer questions about specific investigations. For example, when a lawmaker asked Garland if Trump was interviewed by federal prosecutors before his impeachment, he refused to answer, even though the answer is known to be ‘no.’

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Associated Press reporter Farnoosh Amiri in Washington contributed.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)