Garland Pushes Back Against 'Dangerous' GOP Rhetoric

Attorney General Merrick Garland pushed back hard against criticism of the Justice Department during a House Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, slamming Republican rhetoric he said was "dangerous." Garland told the GOP-led committee that claims the department was behind Donald Trump's felony convictions in New York were a "conspiracy theory" that was "an attack on the judicial process itself," the Hill reports. "I do not control the Manhattan district attorney," he said. "The Manhattan district attorney does not report to us."

• House Republicans are seeking to hold Garland in contempt for the department's refusal to hand over audio of special counsel Robert Hur's interview with President Biden. On Tuesday, Garland accused Republicans of using contempt as a means of obtaining "sensitive law enforcement information" for no legitimate purpose, the Washington Post reports.
• "I view contempt as a serious matter. But I will not jeopardize the ability of our prosecutors and agents to do their jobs effectively in future investigations," Garland said. "I will not be intimidated. And the Justice Department will not be intimidated. We will continue to do our jobs free from political influence. And we will not back down from defending democracy."

• Republicans on the committee accused Garland of weaponizing the justice system against Trump. Rep. Jim Jordan, the committee's top Republican, said there was a "double standard" in the Trump and Biden investigations.
• Republican lawmakers gave various reasons for wanting the tapes of the Hur interview, including a desire to see whether Biden stumbled over his words, but Garland said he didn't see a valid legislative purpose for the request, the Hill reports.
• Asked about Trump's claim that FBI agents were "ready to take him out" when Mar-a-Lago was searched, Garland said Trump had distorted a standard use-of-force policy that was also in place during the search of Biden's Delaware home. He said the consequences of the claim are "dangerous," per the New York Times. "It raises the threats of violence against prosecutors and career agents. The allegation is false."
• The AP reports that Garland "appeared nearly overcome by emotion" when he was asked about the department's role in upholding the rule of law. "I have devoted my entire career to ensuring that the rule of law is the rule that the Justice Department applies and the courts apply—that we follow the precedents, that we treat like cases alike, that we do not have enemies or friends, that we do not pay attention to the political parties or the wealth, or the power, or the influence that we are investigating," he said.

(More Merrick Garland stories.)