Garland slams attacks on the Justice Department, telling lawmakers: 'I will not be intimidated'

(4 Jun 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
POOL
Washington, DC - 4 June 2024
1. UPSOUND (English) Attorney General Merrick Garland stands and takes the oath
2. Cutaway of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan addressing Garland
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Merrick Garland, Attorney General:
"As Attorney General, I will continue to forcefully defend the independence of the Justice Department from improper influence or interference of any kind, and I will continue to fiercely protect the integrity of our criminal investigations. Nothing will deter me from fulfilling my obligation to uphold the rule of law. Fulfilling that obligation includes ensuring that the Justice Department respects Congress's important role in our democracy. That is why we have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the committee gets responses to its legitimate requests for information."
4. Cutaway of committee members
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Merrick Garland, Attorney General:
"But we have made clear that we will not provide audio recordings from which the transcripts that you already have were created. Releasing the audio would chill cooperation with the department in future investigations, and it could influence witnesses' answers if they thought the audio of their law enforcement interviews would be broadcast to Congress and the public. In response, certain members of this committee and the Oversight Committee are seeking contempt as a means of obtaining for no legitimate purpose sensitive law enforcement information that could harm the integrity of future investigations."
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Merrick Garland, Attorney General: ++SOUNDBITE PARTIALLY COVERED AT TOP++
"This effort is only the most recent in a long line of attacks on the Justice Department's work. It comes alongside threats to defund particular department investigations, most recently, the special counsel's prosecution of the former president. It comes alongside false claims that a jury verdict in a state trial by a brought by a local district attorney was somehow controlled by the Justice Department. That conspiracy theory is an attack on the judicial process itself. It comes as individual career agents and prosecutors have been singled out just for doing their jobs. It comes as baseless and extremely dangerous falsehoods are being spread about the FBI's law enforcement operations."
7. Cutaway of committee members
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Merrick Garland, Attorney General:
"These repeated attacks on the Justice Department are unprecedented and they are unfounded. These attacks have not, and they will not influence our decision-making. I view contempt as a serious matter, but I will not jeopardize the ability of our prosecutors and agents to do their jobs effectively in future investigations. I will not be intimidated and the Justice Department will not be intimidated. We will continue to do our jobs. Free from political influence. And we will not back down from defending democracy. I look forward to your questions."
++ENDS ON A SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Attorney General Merrick Garland forcefully rebuked what he described as unprecedented attacks on the Justice Department Tuesday, telling Republicans who have sought to hold him in contempt that he will “not be intimidated.”
During a hearing before the the House Judiciary Committee, Garland condemned the “conspiracy theory” pushed by Donald Trump's allies that the department was behind Trump's state court prosecution in New York in which the former Republican president was convicted of 34 felony charges.
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[@JohnDoe-ex5en]

You haven't changed my mind at all.

[@robertthompson6061]

HIS OFFICE IS AN ARM OF OR CHECKS AND BALANCE GOVERNMENT , AND NOT THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH OF IT

[@zippydoo9533]

I wonder what would have happened if the Richard Nixon administrations AG did this very same thing Garland is doing?

[@CathyCampbell-Mosley-uy1ee]

So shame him. Lies all u do is lies. Resign

[@davidglahn8259]

Yo ga set bambabdctraitorvtibciutryb yobteersssinozy leavnedjeytonight

[@timothyraz]

This is not justice. it is Just us.

[@davidglahn8259]

Yrat gRkjanfcdhdhioutbhime😊😊

[@willard6652]

Put his ass in jail for lying