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- Judge Merrick Garland choked on explaining his motivation for being a public servant.
- During his confirmation hearing for the attorney general, Garland explained how his family fled anti-Semitism.
- “The country has welcomed us and protected us, and I feel obligated to repay,” he said.
- Visit Insider’s Business section for more stories.
On Monday, US appeals court judge Merrick Garland choked and became emotional as he discussed his motivation for being a public servant.
During Garland’s confirmation hearing for the Attorney General before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey asked the judge to explain why he wanted to take the position.
“One thing you said to me in private made me especially believe in you when you talk about your aspirations,” Booker said. “I wonder if you can just wrap up by speaking – answering the question about your motivation and maybe part of your own family history in dealing with hatred and discrimination in American history.”
“Yes, senator,” Garland said, before pausing.
“I come from a family where my grandparents fled anti-Semitism and persecution,” he continued, crying. “The country has welcomed us and protected us, and I feel obligated to repay, and this is the best and the best use of my own skills to repay.”
Garland added, “So I really want to be the kind of attorney general that you say I could be. I’ll do my best to try to be that kind of attorney general.”
Watch the exchange below:
—Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) February 22, 2021
President Joe Biden asked Garland to become attorney general on January 7, saying in a statement that Garland and other DOJ candidates reflected Biden’s deep commitment to reaffirm the Justice Department as a mainstay of the independence and integrity, and to ensure that the Attorney General and his leadership team are the advocates of the American people – not the president’s law firm. “
It was a remarkable development for Garland, who made headlines after the Republican-controlled Senate in 2016 blocked his appointment to the United States Supreme Court.
During his confirmation hearing on Monday, Garland expressed his commitment to ensuring that the DOJ upholds the rule of law so that “the laws of our country are applied fairly and faithfully and the rights of all Americans are protected.”
President Donald Trump has often been criticized for using the Justice Department as a shield for himself and a sword against his enemies. He once said he had “the absolute right to do whatever I want to do” with the department, which has led to a breach of the institution’s traditional independence from the White House. . Trump’s actions have often been made possible by Attorney General William Barr, who took extraordinary action while leading the ministry to protect all of the president’s men.
After winning the 2020 election, Biden pledged to restore independence and public confidence in the Department of Justice and U.S. intelligence agencies. To that end, he said he would not encourage investigations of Trump or other political opponents, but he would also not stand in the way if the FBI or the Justice Department undertook them.
“I’m not going to tell them what to do and what not to do. I’m not going to say, ‘Chase A, B or C,'” Biden told CNN in a recent interview. , adding: “This is not my Ministry of Justice. It is the Ministry of People’s Justice.”
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