AG Garland Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee

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Facts

• The GOP-controlled House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on Wednesday for US Attorney General Merrick Garland, which saw him face accusations of 'weaponizing' the Justice Dept. (DOJ ) in favor of Pres. Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.¹
• The hearing focused heavily on the DOJ ‘s handling of its investigation and prosecution of Hunter Biden on felony gun charges, with committee chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) claiming Garland and David Weiss, the special counsel leading the Biden investigation, covered for the president’s son.¹
• Jordan further alleged the DOJ didn't adequately look into Hunter’s business dealings with Ukrainian energy company Burisma and noted that the DOJ allowed the statute of limitations to expire before it could investigate Hunter’s potential tax crimes.²
• Garland rejected accusations of political bias, saying that he’s “not the president’s lawyer” nor “Congress’s prosecutor.” He maintained that the DOJ is a politically independent department and that he hasn’t interfered in the Hunter Biden case.³
• House Republicans also alleged Garland has targeted former Pres. Donald Trump, who has been indicted in two federal cases by special counsel Jack Smith — accusations the attorney general also denied, saying “no one” told him to indict Trump.⁴
• This comes as House Republicans are pursuing an impeachment inquiry into Biden, with a hearing reportedly due to be held on Sept. 28.⁵

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²FOX News, ³CNN, ⁴CBS and ⁵PBS NewsHour.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by Daily Caller. There's little doubt that Merrick Garland and the DOJ are in the tank for Joe Biden. While Trump gets hit with indictment after indictment on the flimsiest charges, Garland’s DOJ ignores Hunter Biden’s corruption and treats his criminal investigation with children’s gloves. Garland must answer for his bias.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Guardian. House Republicans are creating a spectacle by slandering Garland and questioning the legitimacy of the American justice system. Rather than eroding public trust, this time would be better spent addressing the real problems that Congress faces, such as funding the government ahead of the impending shutdown. It's time to move on.

Predictions