Garland Says He’s ‘More Than Willing’ to Testify to the House Judiciary Panel

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Jan. 27, 2023. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)

Attorney General Merrick Garland told a House panel on March 29 that he’s “more than willing” to testify to the House Judiciary Committee, despite repeated failures to answer requests from the panel.

Garland appeared before the House Appropriations Committee to discus President Joe Biden’s proposed budget.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who serves as the chairman of the Judiciary panel, is leading an investigation into the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which has focused attention on Garland’s Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI. In January, Jordan sent a letter to Garland requesting testimony, but has of yet received no reply.

“[Jordan] has asked me to ask you about a letter he sent back in January, asking you to appear before his committee,” Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) said during his questioning of Garland. “He has not gotten a response to that letter. Can I get a commitment from you to respond to him in the immediate future?”

“Of course I’m going to appear before the House Judiciary Committee,” Garland responded quickly. He added that there are “discussions about scheduling that have been going on. I don’t think there’s any problem in that respect.”

Cline noted that Garland had not so much as replied to the letter.

“There’s been no response to the letter, so I think there’s some question about whether you would be willing to appear,” Cline said, asking for Garland to commit to an appearance in front of Jordan’s panel.

“I am willing,” Garland said. “More than willing.”

During his testimony to the panel, Garland made several statements about his agency’s commitment to the rule of law.

This prompted a response from Cline, who said, “I’m incredulous that you would talk so much about the rule of law when you and so many in your department have done so much to undermine the rule of law.”

He cited a 2021 controversy involving the use of federal resources to target parents attending school board meetings.

On Nov. 18, 2021, Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee were told that the FBI had created a “threat tag” for parents voicing their concerns at school board meetings about the highly ideological content being taught to their children.

In a September 2021 letter to Biden, the National School Boards Association (NSBA) characterized disruptions at school board meetings across the nation as “a form of domestic terrorism and hate crime.”

Specifically, the NSBA was referencing an increasing number of parents across the United States attending school board meetings to voice their opposition to content being taught to their children—including controversial, Marxism-inspired critical race theory, far-left-wing positions on sexuality and gender, and, in some cases, even explicit or pornographic sexual images.

The NSBA proceeded to ask for federal assistance in dealing with these frustrated, outspoken parents—assistance that Garland promptly provided.

Days after the NSBA letter, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo directing federal law enforcement to help address the alleged “disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence” against teachers and school leaders.

The incident marked the beginning of GOP concerns over the “weaponization” of federal law enforcement.

Since taking control of the House, Republicans have made this one of their top priorities, passing a “Parents Bill of Rights” that declared that parents have the right to speak out against things their children are taught.