On Wednesday, in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) slammed Attorney General Merrick Garland for his lack of accountability regarding the Justice Department’s targeting and subsequent arrests of people of faith, particularly Catholics.
Senator Hawley pressed Garland on the arrest of pro-life activist Mark Houck, including the aggressive measures taken to arrest Houck despite his previous offers to cooperate.
“You are the Attorney General of the United States,” said Senator Hawley. “You are in charge of the Justice Department, and yes sir, you are responsible.”
“You used an unbelievable show of force with guns, that I just note, liberals usually decry,” he continued. “We’re supposed to hate long guns and assault-style weapons. You’re happy to deploy them against Catholics and innocent children.”
In a second round of questioning, Senator Hawley highlighted a Washington Post article detailing a dispute between federal prosecutors and senior FBI agents over the handling of the Mar-a-Lago raid. Federal prosecutors reportedly pressured senior FBI agents into taking an aggressive approach, culminating in the Garland-approved raid on former President Trump’s home.
“The FBI is saying that you overruled them, when it came to raiding ex-President Trump’s personal residence […] So, I guess in light of your earlier testimony just this morning, my question is: how often do you overrule FBI field agents for political purposes?” asked Senator Hawley.
