Merrick Garland testified this morning before the House Judiciary Committee hearing aimed at examining how the Justice Department has become “politicized and weaponized under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland.”
From the House Judiciary Committee website:
The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The hearing, “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice,” will examine how the Justice Department has become politicized and weaponized under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland.
During the hearing, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) called Garland out for his refusal to answer, during a hearing two years ago, whether federal agents were present on January 6, 2021, and if they encouraged Trump supporters to go into the Capitol. At that time, Garland had cited his inability to comment on “pending investigations.”
Rep. Massie continued to press Garland, blasting his decision to charge Ray Epps with a single misdemeanor charge for “disorderly conduct” yesterday. This action was taken despite Epps being caught on video multiple times actively encouraging people to breach the Capitol.
The charge is significantly less severe compared to the charges other defendants faced, some of whom weren’t even present at the Capitol on that day!
Garland tried to lie and say he didn’t know how to answer that question but Massie wasn’t having it.
Garland was a flustered, stuttering mess in his responses to Massie’s fiery interrogation.
Watch:
Rep. @RepThomasMassie questions Merrick Garland on Ray Epps: “You indicted him on a misdemeanors and meanwhile you’re sending grandmas to prison. You’re putting people away for 20 years for merely filming. Some weren’t even there but you got the guy on video saying go into the… pic.twitter.com/iCoDCIl0fQ
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) September 20, 2023
Transcript of the above clip:
Massie: That was your answer to a question to me two years ago when I asked how many agents and assets of the government were present on January 5 and January 6 and agitating in the crowd to go into the Capitol and how many went into the Capitol. Can you answer that now?
Garland: I don’t know the answer to that question.
Massie: You don’t know how many there were or there were none?
Garland: I don’t know the answer to either of those questions…
Massie: I think you may have just perjured yourself when you just said you don’t know if there were any. You want to say that again?
Garland: I have no personal knowledge of this matter. I think what I just said the last time…
Massie: You’ve had two years to find out! By the way, that was in reference to Ray Epps and yesterday you indicted him! Isn’t that a wonderful coincidence? On a misdemeanor!
Meanwhile you’re sending grandmas to prison. You’re putting people away for 20 years for merely filming. Some weren’t even there but you got the guy on video saying go into the Capitol… he’s at the sight of first breach, and it’s an indictment on a misdemeanor????
You’ve got all the goods on him, ten videos and it’s an indictment for a misdemeanor? The American public isn’t buying it.
Garland (stuttering): Um, in the cases of discovery, um, which were filed with respect to January 6, the prosecutors provided whatever information they had about, uh, to the question that you’re asking.
With respect to Mr. Epps, the FBI has said he was not an employee or informant of, of the uh, FBI. Um, Mr. Epps has been charged, um, and I believe there is a proceeding going on today on that subject.
Massie: The charge is joke. I yield back to the Chairman.
