(RepublicanNews.org) – Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) has accused Attorney General Merrick Garland of believing himself to be immune to subpoenas. Norman held up Garland’s response to the House Judiciary Committee’s investigation into his office and the Department of Justice (DOJ) as another example of a “breakdown of fairness” in which Republicans and Democrats are being treated differently by federal bodies and the American legal system more widely.
The House Judiciary Committee has recently launched an inquiry into what influence, if any, the Justice Department exerted over state prosecutions of former President Donald Trump. Garland has repeatedly rebuffed questions asked of him by members of the committee and claims that the investigation is part of an “escalation of attacks” against the DOJ.
Earlier in the month, the committee asked Garland to turn over any correspondence between his office and that of New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Garland refused, saying that state prosecutors formed their cases without any interference from the DOJ. Garland also rejected a subpoenaed request to produce audio recordings of the interview between Pres. Biden and Special Counsel Robert Hur, who investigated the alleged mishandling of documents by the president. Famously, Hur refused to bring charges despite agreeing that Biden willfully mishandled classified information, citing Biden’s age and poor memory as reasons not to prosecute. The House Judiciary Committee is currently considering whether or not to bring contempt charges against Garland for his refusal to provide the requested evidence.
Garland remains apparently unfazed by the investigation and possible charges and has even taken to the national press to pen an op-ed reporting the investigation into his department as “unfounded” and based on “conspiracy theories.” He again denied any possibility that his department had any influence over state-led prosecutions. It has been reported that a DOJ attorney, Matthew Colangelo, ended his employment in the DOJ before beginning a new post just three days later in Alvin Bragg’s office. As an attorney in Bragg’s office, he immediately began working on the lawsuit against Trump.
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