U.S. Attorney General-designate: Will prosecute Capitol attackers

U.S. Justice Department nominee Judge Merrick Garland speaks at the Queen’s Theatre in Wilmington, Delaware, Jan. 7, 2021

Biden administration Attorney General nominee Merrick Garland said he is prepared to talk about plans to prosecute participants in the congressional riots at a hearing on Monday (Feb. 22).

Garland is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit after former President Barack Obama tried four times in 2016 to get his nomination for high court justice passed, but the nomination did not come to fruition because Republicans held the Senate at the Time.

This weekend, Garland made a public statement saying that if he is officially elected attorney general, he promised to launch a full investigation into the Jan. 6 congressional riots and will look into questions about “white supremacist racists” storming Congress.

Garland announced that he has a long history of “fighting extremist attacks” and has overseen the prosecution of the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people, including many children.

“If I am confirmed, serving as attorney general will be the culmination of a career dedicated to ensuring justice, faithfully enforcing our nation’s laws and protecting the rights of all Americans,” he said in a statement.

Garland’s hearings are scheduled to begin Feb. 22 and last two days. To pass confirmation, Garland must secure a majority of votes in the Senate. Democrats currently have a small majority in the Senate, and Garland will need the support of several Republicans if he is to pass confirmation.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on Garland’s nomination on March 1.

So far, U.S. federal prosecutors have filed charges against more than 200 people accused of participating in the congressional event, with U.S. media reporting that some are from the right-wing group the Proud Boys and militias. Some opponents have criticized the arrests of far-left protesters, who were also among those who stormed Congress, as being largely ignored.