House GOP plot payback, plan to impeach Merrick Garland if they retake the House: report
House Republicans are gearing up to punish Attorney General Merrick Garland over his apparent failure to enforce the law to their own liking, according to The Washington Times.
Multiple lawmakers in the GOP caucus are reportedly considering impeaching the attorney general if they reclaim the House in 2022.
“We just need to investigate and get all the facts right now,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told the outlet, alleging that half a dozen “whistleblowers” have come forward to aid in the effort. “We’re focused on getting the truth for the American people.”
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Much of the Republican frustration with Garland stems from the Department of Justice’s plan to crack down on the potential for violence at schools.
Back in October, amid widespread conservative-led disruptions at school board meetings over curriculum related to race, sex, and gender, the DOJ issues a memo warning of a “a disturbing spike in harassment, intimidation, and threats of violence against school administrators, board members, teachers, and staff who participate in the vital work of running our nation’s public schools.” Garland also announced that the DOJ would be convening a joint task force to mitigate the potential for violence associated with the school disruptions.
Without any clear basis for why, Republicans immediately accused Garland of labelling aggrieved conservative parents as “domestic terrorists.”
But in a Senate hearing that month, Garland argued, “That is not what the memorandum is about at all, nor does it use the words domestic terrorism or Patriot Act … I can’t imagine any circumstance in which the Patriot Act would be used in the circumstances of parents complaining about their children, nor can I imagine a circumstance where they would be labeled as domestic terrorism.”
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Republicans have also raged against Garland’s alleged failure to adequately protect the Supreme Court in the aftermath of pro-choice protests recently organized outside the homes of various conservative justices. Last week, the House passed a bill to provide the court with 24-7 security ahead of the court’s abortion ruling.
Garland is not the only official that might come under the GOP’s wrath after the midterms.
Numerous Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have already suggested that the party might attempt to impeach President Biden if they retake the legislature in 2022. House Republicans have also vowed to issue its own report on the activities of the January 6 committee, casting doubt over the legitimacy of its formation under the body’s rules.
