At his Senate hearing on Monday, appointed attorney general Merrick Garland will pledge to sue “the white supremacists and others” who attacked the United States Capitol on January 6, in support of Donald Trump’s attempt to reverse his defeat in the elections.
The promise was contained in Garland’s opening testimony for the session before the Senate judiciary committee, released Saturday night.
“If confirmed,” said Garland, “I will oversee the case against white supremacists and others who invaded the Capitol on January 6 – a heinous attack that sought to break a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government. -elected. “
Five people, including a police officer, died as a direct result of the attack on the Capitol, in which Trump told his supporters to “fight like hell” against the outcome of the presidential election. Trump lost to Joe Biden 306-232 at the electoral college and by more than 7 million votes in the popular vote.
More than 250 participants in the Capitol riot have been charged. As reported by NPR, “defendants are predominantly white and male, although there were exceptions.
“Federal prosecutors say that a former member of the Latin Kings gang joined the crowd, as well as two police officers from Virginia. A man in a ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweatshirt participated, as did a Messianic Rabbi. Members of the far-right militia dressed in tactical gear protested alongside a county commissioner, a New York sanitation worker and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. ”
In his testimony, Garland referred to his role from 1995 to 1997 in supervising the prosecution of the perpetrators of the Oklahoma City Attack, an atrocity of white supremacy in which 168 people, including 19 children, were killed.
Trump was impeached a second time on charges of inciting an insurrection, but was acquitted after only seven Republicans joined Democrats in the Senate in the vote to convict, 10 less than the majority needed.
“It is an appropriate time,” said Garland, “to reaffirm that the role of the attorney general is to serve the rule of law and ensure equal justice before the law.”
The 68-year-old federal appeals judge was famously denied even a hearing in 2016, when Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell blocked him as Barack Obama’s third choice for the supreme court.
Biden’s choice of Attorney General for Garland is seen as a conciliatory move in a Democratic-controlled capital, but only by narrow margins, the Senate split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris the tiebreaker.
In his testimony, Garland said he would be independent of Biden, making sure to “strictly regulate communication with the White House” and working as a “lawyer … for the people of the United States”.
Trump pressured his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, to carry out his orders, then saw his second, William Barr, largely do so, interfering in the investigation of interference in the Russian elections and ties between Trump and Moscow.
If confirmed, Garland will face delicate decisions on issues like Trump, now exposed to criminal and civil investigation, and Hunter Biden, the son of the new president whose tax affairs are in question, as he remains the target of much of the right.
Some leftists expressed concern that Garland might be too politically moderate.
Black Lives Matter founder LaTosha Brown, for example, told the Guardian: “My concern is that he doesn’t have a strong civil rights history … even when Obama appointed him, one of the criticisms was that he was making a commitment what he thought he was a ‘clean’ candidate to pass. “
In his testimony, Garland said that the justice department’s civil rights work should be improved.
“Communities of color and other minorities still face discrimination in housing, education, employment and in the criminal justice system,” he said, “and bear the brunt of the damage caused by the pandemic, pollution and climate change.”
Garland is expected to be confirmed.