Merrick Garland, the nominee for U.S. attorney general, on Monday (Feb. 22) called the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump “the most heinous” attack on democracy and vowed to follow the investigation trail thoroughly. “Wherever they lead us,” he said.
Garland, 68, appeared Monday at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to confirm his nomination. He told senators, “I never thought I’d see anything like this in this Life.” If his nomination is confirmed, he would become the top U.S. law enforcement official to lead the U.S. Department of Justice.
Garland said that if confirmed, “I can assure you that this will be my main priority” and will be the subject of his first press conference. Garland served as assistant attorney general in charge of the Criminal Bureau during the Clinton administration.
That riot left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. More than 200 rioters have been arrested, many of whom hold extremist anti-government views.
On Jan. 6, as members of Congress met to certify Democrat Joe Biden‘s defeat of Trump in the November election, a group of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol, smashing glass, ransacking offices and pushing and shoving with police.
Garland is currently a federal appeals court judge in Washington. The attorney general is one of the most important members of Biden’s cabinet. He said that if confirmed, he would take a “broader look” at the leaders of the insurgency, their ideological views and their funding. Garland said he would make sure prosecutors and investigators have all the resources necessary to launch an investigation.
The Justice Department has gone through turbulent times during Trump’s four years in the White House. Garland vowed to never take politics into account when making decisions at the Justice Department.
“I’m not the president’s lawyer,” he said. He also said Biden has pledged to stay out of the Justice Department’s decision making in building cases.
“There is no investigation that would be initiated for political purposes,” Garland said. He said he would resign from his post if he were asked to do something illegal.
Garland is expected to be confirmed by the Senate, and his nomination has already received initial support from some Republicans. He tried to reassure Republican lawmakers that he has no intention of curbing the investigation launched by the Trump-appointed attorney general.
Garland said he has not discussed with Biden, the new U.S. president, the investigation currently being conducted by federal authorities into Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. The investigation involves Hunter Biden’s foreign financial transactions and tax matters. Both Biden’s father and son say they did nothing wrong.
In addition, the Justice Department is currently conducting an investigation to see if the Obama administration illegally investigated Russia’s support of Trump during the 2016 campaign. Trump surprisingly defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in that election. Garland told Chuck Grassley, the top Republican member of the Judiciary Committee, that there was “no reason” to end the investigation.
Garland promised that if confirmed, he would speak with John DeHaan, the special prosecutor in the case, “to see how it goes. DeHaan is the special prosecutor selected by former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee.
Garland told Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina that prosecutors must be “extra careful” about using national security search warrants in their investigations. Some Republicans say authorities have improperly used national security warrants in the investigation into Trump’s alleged involvement with Moscow in the 2016 election.
In his opening remarks, Garland promised to combat discrimination and extremist attacks on government in American life.
Garland said there is “not yet equal justice” in the United States.
“Communities of color and other minority groups continue to face discrimination in the areas of housing, Education, employment and the criminal justice system, and they bear the brunt of the harm caused by pandemics, pollution and climate change. “
As attorney general, Garland would oversee the controversial racial disputes that have involved the mistreatment of minority communities by law enforcement officials in criminal cases and have led to widespread street protests in recent months.
If he becomes attorney general, Garland said, it will be “the pinnacle of my career, and I have dedicated my entire career to ensuring that our nation’s laws are fair and faithfully enforced, and that the rights of all Americans are protected. “
In 2016, former President Barack Obama nominated Garland to be a U.S. Supreme Court justice, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, declined to consider the nomination in a presidential campaign year. Last year, however, the Senate, then controlled by Republicans, reversed its position and confirmed Trump’s nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the bench just days before the November election.
Garland appears likely to receive Senate approval. Republicans and Democrats are currently tied in the Senate 50 seats to 50, but Vice President Kamala Harris could cast the key vote that would break the balance if necessary. At least two Republican senators have already expressed support for his nomination.
Garland is seen as a judicial moderate. The Biden Administration has described Garland as a new wind that will change the ongoing turmoil at the Trump Justice Department.
Civil rights groups, as well as police organizations and more than 150 former Justice Department officials and 61 former federal judges from both the Democratic and Republican parties, praised Garland’s nomination.
Republican Senator Graham tweeted his support for Garland last month. He wrote, “He has terrific character, integrity and outstanding legal expertise.”
Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas, said he expected to support Garland’s nomination.
Cornyn’s statement continued, “Judge Garland’s extensive legal experience has allowed him to adequately lead the Department of Justice, and I applaud his commitment to keeping politics out of the Department. “
For the past 20 years, Garland has served as a federal appellate judge in Washington. Early in his career, he became known for leading the investigation and prosecution of Timothy McVeigh. McVeigh detonated a bomb outside a federal building in Oklahoma City in 1995, killing 168 people. He was convicted and sentenced to death and executed in 2001.
Today, Garland said, that experience helps him investigate the attack on the Capitol.
If confirmed, he said, “I will oversee the prosecution of the white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a heinous attack that sought to undermine one of the cornerstones of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government. “
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