## Merrick Garland Faces Off with House Republicans over ‘Weaponization’ of Justice Department
US Attorney General [Merrick Garland](https://apnews.com/hub/merrick-garland) found himself in the hot seat on Wednesday, fielding tough questions from House Republicans. The occasion was a routine oversight hearing, but the mood was far from ordinary as Garland was grilled over alleged Justice Department bias under President [Joe Biden](https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden).
Garland is steering the Justice Department during a significant period, with two cases against former President [Donald Trump](https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump) and another against Biden’s son, [Hunter Biden](https://apnews.com/hub/hunter-biden). This appearance before the House Judiciary Committee was Garland’s first in two years, and it was met with fervent criticism from Republican members.
## Accusations of Bias and Partisan Protection
The committee, led by Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, launched into the hearing with accusations that the Justice Department was protecting the Biden family while targeting Trump. Jordan stated in his opening remarks that the department seemed to be playing both sides of the political spectrum.
Garland defended the Justice Department, which includes over 115,000 employees. He did this during a time of increasing political and physical threats against agents and their families. “Our job is not to take orders from the president, from Congress, or from anyone else, about who or what to criminally investigate,” the attorney general said.
## Democrats Push Back Against GOP Claims
Democrats on the committee planned to act as a “truth squad” against what they perceived as Republican misinformation and continued defense of Trump. They accused Republicans of trying to divert attention from Trump’s legal challenges and cast a negative light on Biden.
“I’ll be using this opportunity to highlight just how destructive that is of our system of justice and how once again, it is the GOP willing to undermine our institutions in the defense of their indefensible candidate for president,” stated Rep. [Adam Schiff](https://apnews.com/hub/adam-schiff), a senior Democrat on the committee.
## Ongoing Legal Challenges
Garland’s testimony comes just over a week after Speaker Kevin McCarthy launched an [impeachment inquiry](https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-biden-impeachment-shutdown-house-republicans-b187202be8814f7acbdd6e2e937e23d4) into Biden, focusing on the Justice Department’s handling of the Hunter Biden case.
Republicans argue that the Justice Department has failed to fully investigate allegations against Hunter Biden, including his work with Ukrainian energy company Burisma and his tax filings in California and Washington D.C. Garland, however, maintained that he is neither the President’s lawyer nor Congress’s prosecutor, and that the Justice Department works for the American people.
Garland had retained Trump appointee David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney for Delaware, to continue the investigation into Hunter Biden to avoid claims of political interference. Weiss was recently given the authority to [indict](https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-gun-charge-investigation-e5c8ded90ea8c22d2e2e7cb09804b747) Hunter Biden on federal firearms charges, putting the case on track for a potential trial as the 2024 election looms. Despite this, Republicans have launched an investigation into Weiss’ handling of the [case](https://apnews.com/article/hunter-biden-plea-deal-congress-republicans-investigation-ad80b195c8c0f48241740881cf9b9bce), alleging improper interference from the Justice Department.
Original Story at apnews.com – 2023-09-20 14:32:00