Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appearance Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee could heat up as lawmakers are expected to grill him on the special counsel’s investigations into classified documents, the origin of Covid and school boards.
Garland is expected to begin and end his remarks by praising Justice Department employees, a Justice Department spokesman said, responding to criticism that the sprawling agency has politicized law enforcement.
Garland will speak about the DOJ’s accomplishments under his tenure in upholding the rule of law, keeping the country safe and protecting civil rights, the spokesperson said. These include combating the rise in violent crime and hate crimes, working with Ukrainian partners to defend democracy, and protecting reproductive freedom.
“Every day, the 115,000 Justice Department employees work tirelessly to fulfill our mission: upholding the rule of law, keeping our country safe, and protecting civil rights. Every day, our FBI, ATF and DEA agents, and our Deputy US Marshals put their lives on the line to thwart threats and respond to crises,” reads an excerpt from Garland’s testimony.
“Every day, Department employees face complex threats to our national security,” the excerpt continues. “They fiercely protect the civil rights of our citizens. They pursue accountability for environmental damage. They prosecute crimes that victimize workers, consumers, and taxpayers. They defend the democratic institutions of our country. And every day, in everything we do, Justice Department employees uphold and uphold the rule of law that is the foundation of our system of government.»
Garland is expected to face a variety of questions.
«Where do we start? You know, that’s not a reflection of his service, just the jurisdiction that he has,» said the chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said there is a «wide field» of questions he has, but «politicizing» the Justice Department is a top priority.
The hearing comes a day after FBI Director Chris Wray told Fox News that the agency believes Covid likely originated from a «potential laboratory incident» in Wuhan, but that the Chinese government it has essentially interfered with the ongoing investigation. Wray’s comments came after the US Department of Energy concluded with «low confidence» that the covid pandemic «likely» originated from a laboratory leak in Wuhan, according to a classified report released to Key legislators on the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Other matters that have come under scrutiny include Garland’s handling of separate investigations by special counsel into classified documents linked to former President Donald Trump and Biden, as well as the Biden administration’s handling of local school board meetings around the world. country that have intensified and turned violent in recent years. , especially since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Justice Department said Wednesday that it began turning over documents to the House Oversight committee about school board meetings.
frank thorp and michael kosnar contributed.