George Washington University law professor and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s refusal to answer questions has led Americans to distrust the justice system.
Garland testified before the House Judiciary Committee where House Republicans questioned him about allegations surrounding the Department of Justice (DOJ) slow-walking the investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax and gun crimes. Turley refused to answer any details about the investigation, particularly the accusations of his role in allegedly slow-walking the investigation.
“It was clear the attorney general came with the intent not to answer any questions and basically his message was to go bury sand. I’m not gonna give you answers to these issues. This is why the Department of Justice under Merrick Garland is at one of its lowest levels of trust with the public is that he refuses to answer any of these questions and things are sort of falling apart,” Turley said.
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Turley criticized the “embarrassing sweetheart deal” between the president’s son and David Weiss, the prosecutor overseeing the investigation. The plea deal initially agreed to keep Biden out of jail in exchange for pleading guilty to the crimes, but it quickly fell apart during a July 22 court appearance over disagreements between the prosecution and defense teams.
“And yet, Garland continues to object that people don’t trust his department,” he continued. “It’s sort of like a captain saying the beating will continue until the morale improves. To stain the course is going to further separate the public from the Justice Department. There’s a lack of trust there and there’s a reason for that.” (RELATED: ‘Disturbing’: Jonathan Turley Says DOJ’s Hunter Charges Seemingly ‘Insulate’ Joe Biden)
Turley said he initially held high respect for Garland but has been disappointed about his time as attorney general. He accused Garland of having a lack of curiosity regarding the alleged refusal of D.C. U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves to charge Biden after Weiss requested that Graves and the U.S. attorney in the Central District of California each bring tax charges against Biden.
Garland testified that Weiss had full authority in the investigation and that he upheld his promise not to interfere. This claim has been widely disputed by Republicans and legal counsel.