WASHINGTON – Judge Merrick Garland, chosen by President Biden as attorney general, has vowed to combat the growing threat of domestic extremism, saying that a broad federal investigation into the January 6 US Capitol rebellion would be his first priority if confirmed for the position.
“I think this was the most heinous attack on democratic processes I’ve ever seen and that I never expected to see in my life,” Judge Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. He added that the current investigation into the riot – which has led some 250 people to face criminal charges so far – appeared to be “extremely aggressive and perfectly appropriate”
Judge Garland, appointed by Clinton in 1997 to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, received a warm welcome at the opening of his confirmation hearing. Republicans and Democrats hailed the nominee, who spearheaded domestic terrorism investigations in the 1990s, as qualified to fight the threat of extremist violence and establish a Department of Justice stirred up by political storms during the Trump administration.
“I can think of a few more suitable people” to lead the department, said Sen. Richard Durbin (D., Ill.), The chairman of the Judiciary Committee. The first two Republicans on the panel, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, described the judge as a “good choice”.
Several senators lobbied the judge about how he would handle politically sensitive investigations and potential pressure from the White House, after Democrats repeatedly criticized former President Donald Trump for what he considered his efforts to fit into the traditionally independent affairs of the Justice Department.