Garland releases statement for the record ahead of House testimony on Justice Department oversight
Fox News
Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement for the record Tuesday, just one day ahead of his appearance at a House Judiciary Committee hearing looking into how the Justice Department has become “politicized and weaponized” under his leadership.
Fox News Digital obtained a copy of Garland’s statement, which made no mention of the allegations against the DOJ concerning its handling of the investigation into Hunter Biden, and it being influenced by politics. The attorney general is expected to face tough questions from Republicans on the committee pertaining to the investigation.
“When I began my tenure as Attorney General, I said it would be my mission to reaffirm the norms that have guided the Justice Department’s work for over 40 years. Since then, the Justice Department has reinforced and, where appropriate, updated and strengthened policies that are foundational for longstanding Departmental norms,” Garland’s statement said.
“Those policies are intended to protect the independence of the Department from partisan influence in law enforcement investigations; to strictly regulate communications with the White House; to establish guidelines for Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigations and for the use of compulsory process in investigations that could involve members of the press; to ensure respect for the professionalism of the Department’s lawyers, agents, and staff; and to set out principles to guide the exercise of prosecutorial discretion,” it added.
Garland’s statement goes on to tout the work he says the DOJ has done to protect democracy and the public, build trust with law enforcement and crack down on various types of crime.
The committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, titled the hearing, “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice,” and “will use it to examine how the Justice Department has become politicized and weaponized under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland.”
The committee has been investigating the alleged politicization of the DOJ throughout the Biden administration. Most recently, IRS whistleblowers came to Congress to testify that prosecutorial decisions made throughout the years-long federal investigation into Hunter Biden have been influenced by politics.
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Those whistleblowers claimed David Weiss, who served as U.S. attorney for Delaware and led the investigation, requested special counsel authority and charging authority but was denied by the main DOJ.