Attorney General Merrick Garland will promise during his Senate hearing on Monday to prosecute “white supremacists and others” who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, in support of Donald Trump’s attempt to overthrow his election defeat to cast.
The promise was contained in Garland’s opening testimony for the session before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which was released Saturday night.
‘If confirmed,’ Garland said, ‘I will oversee the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6 – a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government. ”
Five people, including a police officer, were killed as a result of the attack on the Capitol, for which Trump told supporters to “fight like hell” against the outcome of the presidential election. Trump lost to Joe Biden at 306-232 in the Electoral College and by more than 7 million votes in the general vote.
More than 250 participants in the riot in Capitol have been charged. As NPR reports, “the accused are predominantly white and masculine, although there were exceptions.
Federal prosecutors say a former member of the Latin Kings gang joined the mob, as did two Virginia police officers. A man in a ‘Camp Auschwitz’ sweater participated, just like a Messianic Rabbi. Members of the far-right militia pulled up in tactical gear are rioting alongside a land commissioner, a Sanitary worker in New York and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. ‘
In his testimony, Garland referred to his role from 1995 to 1997 in overseeing the prosecution of Oklahoma City Bombing offenders, a white atrocity in which 168 people, including 19 children, were killed.
Trump was charged for the second time on charges of inciting an uprising, but was acquitted after only seven Republicans joined the Democrats in the Senate for conviction, 10 of which were less than the majority needed.
“This is an appropriate time,” Garland said, “to reaffirm the role of the Attorney General in serving the rule of law and in ensuring equal justice under the law.”
The 68-year-old federal appeals judge was even denied a trial in 2016 when Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell blocked him as Barack Obama’s third choice for the Supreme Court.
Biden’s choice of Garland as attorney general is seen as a conciliatory step in a capital controlled by Democrats, but only by a narrow margin, and the Senate split 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris the break-even vote .
In his testimony, Garland said he would be independent of Biden, and that he would be sure to “strictly regulate communication with the White House” and work as “the advocate … for the people of the United States.”
Trump put his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, under pressure to make his bid, and then saw his second, William Barr, largely interfere with the investigation into Russian election interference and ties between Trump and Moscow.
If confirmed, Garland will make sensitive decisions on issues including Trump, who is now under criminal and civil scrutiny, and Hunter Biden, the son of the new president whose tax issues are at stake, as he is a target for many stay right.
Some on the left have expressed concern that Garland may be too politically moderate.
For example, the founder of Black Lives Matter, LaTosha Brown, told the Guardian: ‘My concern is that he does not have a strong civil rights history … even when Obama nominated him, one of the criticisms was that he was compromising with what he thought. was a ‘clean’ candidate to get through. ‘
In his testimony, Garland said civil rights in the Department of Justice need to be improved.
“Colored communities and other minorities continue to be discriminated against in housing, education, employment and the criminal justice system,” he said, “and bear the brunt of the damage caused by pandemics, pollution and climate change.”
Garland is expected to be confirmed.