Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Attorney General Merrick Garland recently clashed heads at a fiery House hearing on Tuesday via Mediaite.
It has been noted that in his opening remarks, Garland highlighted several actions the Justice Department has taken recently. He went on to push back against Trump supporters who argue President Joe Biden and Garland have nothing to do with Trump’s legal troubles, including his hush money trial in Manhattan where he was recently convicted on more than 30 felony counts.
Gaetz was the first lawmaker to get time to ask Garland, and he told the attorney general he could clear up the “dangerous conspiracy theory” of collusion if he agreed to hand over any communications between the Justice Department and the offices of prosecutors targeting Trump, like Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Garland stated that those are independent offices and the two began going back and forth with Gaetz finally growing frustrated with Garland explaining the separation of state and federal offices.
“The question is whether or not you will provide all your documents and correspondence. I don’t need a history lesson,” Gaetz said.
Garland echoed his previous point. Gaetz found Garland equally unwilling to answer thinly-veiled questions about Trump’s hush money trial.
“When you were a judge, did you ever make political donations to partisan candidates?” Gaetz asked, referring to Garland’s past as a judge and the revelation that Judge Juan Merchan, who presides over Trump’s trial in Manhattan, previously donated to Biden.
“No,” Garland answered, explaining there’s a federal rule against such donations.
The attorney general then got frustrated with Gaetz’s questions regarding Trump’s trial after Gaetz began asking about having family “profit” off of a specific case. Gaetz appeared to be referring to reports that Merchan’s daughter works for a consulting firm that works with Democrats.
“I’m well aware you’re not asking me a hypothetical. You’re asking me to comment on a jury verdict in another jurisdiction which has to be respected. I won’t comment on it. That case is still ongoing —” Garland said before Gaetz jumped back in.
“Mr. Attorney General, I hadn’t asked you about the verdict yet. We were getting there. I was talking about the judge,” he said.
Garland weighed in on his past point that he can’t directly comment on the case.
“Well, it seems you’re connecting the dots, Mr. Attorney General! I’m just asking in general principle, but you are aware that Judge Merchan’s daughter was profiting off this prosecution,” Gaetz said. “You are aware that that creates the appearance of impropriety. You know there’s a reason there’s a federal rule against judges giving donations because it is the very attack on the judicial process that we’re concerned about.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t agree with anything you just said,” Garland shot back, “but I’m not going to comment on an active [case].”
