Attorney General Merrick Garland appeared before the House Judiciary Committee for a hearing on Wednesday and, as could be expected, it was more or less a complete boondoggle that led to few answers but much fighting and many soundbites.
That was the case straight from the start, with committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan delivering his fiery opening statement and Rep. Jerry Nadler, a New York Democrat, going ballistic in response and attacking Rep. Jordan for the claims he made.
Rep. Nadler, responding to Rep. Jordan, kicked off his opening statement by attacking Rep. Jordan from the very start, snapping, “Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, at the outset, let me make two comments. One: Just about every assertion you made in your opening statement has been completely refuted by witnesses who have testified before this committee.”
Continuing, Rep. Nadler, normally a proponent of gun control, clutched his pearls over Hunter Biden’s recently-announced firearm-related indictment, bemoaning Hunter being prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
He said, “Two: Far from being favored, many commentators have noted that people accused of simple gun possession while under the influence of a drug, when that gun was not used in the commission of a crime, are rarely, if ever, prosecuted the way Hunter Biden is being prosecuted.”
He then argued that the GOP priorities for the hearing weren’t in line with what ordinary Americans care about, saying, “Mr. Chairman, one of this committee’s most important duties is conducting oversight of the Department of Justice. We are called upon to ensure that the DOJ uses the enormous amount of power it is granted in a fair and just manner that respects the civil and human rights of all Americans. The Attorney General of the United States oversees issues that affect the lives of each and every American: violent crime, drug trafficking, tax and civil rights, threats to our national security, and environmental crimes all fall under his purview. That is why we regularly request that he or she appear before this committee to speak about the work the department is doing for the welfare of the country. This is how we ensure that the department stays accountable to the American people.”
Continuing on that point, Nadler said, “But if it were up to the Republicans, Americans would hear nothing about any of these substantive issues today. They would hear nothing about the rise in domestic terrorism and what the Justice Department is doing about it. They would hear nothing about what the department is doing to stop hate crimes and prevent gun violence. They would hear nothing about how the department is disrupting efforts by Russia, China, and others to interfere in our elections. Extreme MAGA Republicans have poisoned our vital oversight work. They’ve ignored our legitimate oversight responsibilities and used their power to stage one political stunt after another. They have wasted countless taxpayer dollars on baseless investigations into President Biden and his family, desperate to find evidence for an absurd impeachment, and desperate to distract from the mounting legal peril facing Donald Trump.”
"*" indicates required fields
Watch Nadler here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video