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Attorney General Merrick Garland testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday when he was questioned by Republican lawmakers about the prosecution of protesters on both sides of the abortion struggle.
Republican anger was centered on two fronts: the Justice Department failed to indict any protester under the statue, making it a crime to protest in front of a Supreme Court judge’s home, and that an individual anti-abortion demonstrator in Pennsylvania was charged under the statue. . The federal law.
Sen. Ted Cruz, Democrat of Texas, has yelled that the Justice Department is “sitting on its hands” without filing charges against any protesters outside the judge’s building following last year’s Dobbs decision, which overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which guarantees the right to access abortion. .
“No, but we were protecting the judges’ lives,” Garland replied, referring to the 70 US marshals he appointed to protect the judges.
“The Justice Department’s priority is to find the people behind the firebombings at the centers,” Garland said, adding that one of them had been found and that the Justice Department would be happy to have more information if Cruz had it.
Cruz also expressed outrage at the prosecution of Pennsylvania anti-abortion protester Mark Hawke. Earlier this year, a jury acquitted him of charges under a federal law that makes it a crime to conduct certain behaviors in abortion clinics, or “crisis pregnancy centers,” run by anti-abortion groups that target pregnant young women to try to get them not to do so. . to abortion. Senator Josh Hawley, Missouri, said seven of Hawke’s children were at home when law enforcement agents detained Mark Hawke. He cited a statement by Hawke’s wife that the children were screaming when the agents pointed guns at the house.
“This is a disgraceful job by the Justice Department and a disgraceful use of resources,” Hawley said.
Cruz went on to blame the Justice Department for not making attacks on so-called “pregnancy crisis centers” a priority.
In a later exchange, Cruz also accused Garland of using President Joe Biden’s son Hunter as a “scapegoat” to cover up Justice Department investigations into former President Donald Trump. Hunter Biden is being investigated on tax-related charges, while Trump is being investigated for his role in the January 6 riots and for allegedly mishandling class-marked documents.
“I believe you are very eager to indict Donald J. Trump. To that end, the Justice Department has indicated that the Justice Department is investigating and intends to indict Hunter Biden. I believe the purpose of these leaks was to establish a predicate for Trump’s indictment,” Cruz said, before blaming the Justice Department for leaking a photo of classified documents that were found during an FBI raid on Trump’s estate in August.
Garland noted that the photo Cruz referred to was taken from a court document and “was not a leak.” “Leaks are a violation of our rules and regulations,” Garland said. “They’re out of place and we don’t know where they came from.”
Earlier in the hearing, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, asked Garland what steps the Justice Department had taken to investigate Hunter Biden. Garland reiterated his earlier pledge not to interfere in the matter, which is being overseen by the Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney in Delaware.
Separately, Garland was asked about how the Justice Department is working to prevent fentanyl overdose deaths.
“We all want to work with you on this side,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., in his opening remarks, saying he believes the rise in crime across the country is not being taken “as seriously as it should be.” “. ”“. “.
Presiding Senator Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, and Graham began the hearing by questioning Garland about the fentanyl crisis.
Durbin said there was a “general consensus” within the committee that more needed to be done regarding the sale of “counterfeit drugs sold on social media platforms that fuel fentanyl trafficking.”
Garland said he agreed with senators that more needs to be done. He said he met with families of children and young adults who often think they are taking prescription drugs bought online but are actually filled with fentanyl. Garland said that in addition to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) appeal to social media companies, the sale of so-called “fake drugs” from platforms should be prevented and algorithms should not be used to recommend them to users.
Garland also faced questions about how the Justice Department handles threats against school board representatives. Sen. John F. Kennedy, D-Laurel accused Garland of creating a “chilling effect” on parents trying to protect their children from Covid-era school board policies. He cited Garland’s decision to mobilize the FBI to work with state and local law enforcement to address the growing threats against school board members and teachers.
Garland countered that the Justice Department was only investigating threats of violence against school personnel and that peaceful protests by parents and “active public debate” at school board meetings were protected by the First Amendment.
Senator John Cornyn, D.T., asked about security on the southern border, arguing in his question that criminal organizations are suppressing border agents so that drug dealers can smuggle drugs into the United States.
Garland said the Justice Department was focusing on fentanyl with “extreme urgency” and that he traveled to Mexico twice to increase cooperation on the matter. He said the border is largely the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security.
“We are doing our best with the jurisdictions we have,” Garland said.
Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee reached out to Garland about the protesters after Dobbs’ decision was leaked last year. Lee asked Garland why the protesters outside the homes of the justices of the Supreme Court were not charged, despite their attempts to “influence the jurisprudence.”
Garland said he ordered more than 70 US Marshals to guard the Houses of Justice around the clock. He said marshals were advised to arrest people under any federal law.
Garland began by praising Justice Department officials in response to criticism that the sprawling agency had politicized enforcement of the law.
Garland spoke about the Justice Department’s accomplishments during his tenure in upholding the rule of law, securing the nation’s security, and protecting civil rights. These include combating the rise in violent and hate crimes, working with Ukrainian partners to defend democracy, and protecting reproductive freedom.
“Every day, 115,000 Justice Department employees work tirelessly to fulfill our mission: uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. Every day, our FBI, ATF, and DEA agents, as well as our Deputy U.S. Marshals, risk their lives to eliminate threats and respond to crises,” Garland said.
“Every day, agency employees counter complex threats to our national security,” he said. “They fiercely defend the civil rights of our citizens. They seek responsibility for causing harm to the environment. They pursue criminals targeting workers, consumers and taxpayers. They protect the democratic institutions of our country. And every day, in everything we do, Justice Department officials uphold and uphold the rule of law, which is the foundation of our system of government.”
Senator Alex Padilla, D-California, questioned Garland about recent media reports, including NBC News, about illegal child labor in the country. He said the ministry’s criminal and civil rights departments are reaching out to the departments of labor and health and human services to offer help with the problem, though he said a “limited number” of criminal laws would apply. Garland also said he met with the Department of Forced Labor Task Force on Tuesday to review the reports.
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