U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland responded forcefully to a threat of contempt issued by House Republicans, saying that he and the Justice Department would “not be intimidated.” At an abrasive hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Republicans pushed Garland to turn over audio of President Joe Biden discussing classified documents found at his home. The attorney general hit back in response, accusing right-wing lawmakers of spreading “baseless” conspiracy theories about his office. “These repeated attacks on the Justice Department are unprecedented, and they are unfounded,” Garland said. “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.” His fiery response came as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) pestered him in the hearing on his office’s ties to the state prosecutors pursuing Trump in New York and Georgia. Garland rebuked this, saying that the Justice Department had no involvement in either investigation. He also decried an “extremely dangerous” conspiracy theory aired by Trump in recent weeks that federal agents had been authorized to kill him when they raided Mar-a-Lago in 2022.
