‘I will not be intimidated’: Attorney General Merrick Garland to slam attacks against Justice Department

CNN

By Hannah Rabinowitz, CNN

(CNN) — Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to slam the “repeated attacks” and “conspiracy” theories floated by Republicans about the Justice Department being weaponized against former President Donald Trump during his opening statements to Congress on Tuesday, according to prepared remarks shared with CNN.

Garland’s forceful defense of the department and federal law enforcement will begin what is likely to be a tense, hours-long hearing before members of the House Judiciary Committee. The hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 am ET.

In his most explicit comments since his confirmation in 2020, Garland will tell members of the House Judiciary Committee that recent attacks on the Justice Department “are unprecedented and unfounded.”

“Certain members of this Committee and the Oversight Committee are seeking contempt as a means of obtaining – for no legitimate purpose – sensitive law enforcement information that could harm the integrity of future investigations,” Garland will say, according to the prepared remarks.

The attorney general was called to Capitol Hill for a hearing on the department’s work under his leadership, including efforts to combat violent crime and investigate potential threats to the US stemming from conflicts abroad.

But Garland, who is at the center of Republican-led contempt proceedings, is prepared to forcefully push back against his critics.

Republicans are moving to try to hold Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio tapes of the president’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated his handling of classified material and declined to bring charges.

The contempt proceedings come “alongside false claims that a jury verdict in a state trial, brought by a local District Attorney, was somehow controlled by the Justice Department,” Garland will say according to his remarks, referring to the New York state trial in which Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records.

“That conspiracy theory is an attack on the judicial process itself,” Garland is expected to say.

In a letter to Garland ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, House GOP Reps. Chip Roy, Andy Biggs and Thomas Massie accused the Justice Department of “aggressive prosecutions of American citizens who were present” at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, and demanded a briefing on the matter.

The attorney general will also allude to other threats stemming from the federal Trump investigations, including “extremely dangerous falsehoods” being spread about the FBI’s law enforcement operations and “threats to defund particular Department investigations” like that of special counsel Jack Smith.

“It comes at a time when we are seeing heinous threats of violence being directed at the Justice Department’s career public servants,” Garland is expected to say. But the long line of attacks “have not, and they will not, influence our decision making.”

“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’s remarks say.

“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 our democracy.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed to this report.

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