Politics

Ted Cruz Grills Merrick Garland Over Alleged Conflict Of Interest Regarding His Son-In-Law’s Education Company

Screen Shot_Twitter_@SenTedCruz

Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
Font Size:

Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz grilled Attorney General Merrick Garland on an alleged conflict of interest regarding his son-in-law’s education company during a Wednesday hearing.

During the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing with Garland, Cruz cited reports that Garland’s son-in-law profits from an education company that promotes concepts associated with critical race theory. Garland has denied any conflict of interest between his son-in-law’s business and the NSBA messaging.

Cruz asked the attorney general if he sought and received a decision from an ethics adviser at the Department of Justice (DOJ) before making a decision that could financially benefit his son-in-law.

“Yes or no did you seek an ethics opinion? Did you seek an ethics opinion? General are you refusing to answer if you sought an ethics opinion?” Cruz asked Garland.

Garland was cut off as he was saying that the memorandum directing the FBI to target the growing movement of parents protesting school boards has nothing to do with critical race theory, to which Cruz said: “So you’re saying no!? Just answer it directly. You know how to answer a question directly. Did you seek an ethics opinion?”

“I’m telling you that if I thought there was any reason to believe there was a conflict of interest,” Garland responded.

“Why do you refuse to answer the question? Why don’t you just say no?” Cruz added.

“If critical race theory is taught in more schools does your son-in-law make more money? Yes or no?” Cruz pressed Garland, to which he did not receive a response.

Garland’s son-in-law is reportedly the co-founder of Panorama Education, Inc., a company that reportedly publishes and sells critical race theory materials and works with school districts across the U.S. to obtain and analyze data on students. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Ted Cruz Lists Five Questions AG Garland Must Answer During Senate Testimony)

Panorama Education reaches 12 million K-12 students in 21,000 schools, its website states. The company conducts student screening surveys that ask questions like, “How confident are you that students at your school can have honest conversations with each other about race?” and “How often do you think about what someone of a different race, ethnicity, or culture experiences?”

“The Biden DOJ has embraced Critical Race Theory. AG Garland’s son-in-law makes big money from a company involved in teaching CRT. So I asked the AG if he sought an ethics opinion. He refused to answer my question. Apparently ethics aren’t a high priority in the Biden admin,” Cruz said in a tweet.

WATCH: 

Critical Race Theory (CRT) holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches [[students/people/kids]] to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies. (RELATED: ‘There Are No Conflicts Of Interest,’ Garland Responded To Questioning Over His Son-In-Law’s Pro-CRT Education Company)

Republicans in the House wrote a letter to Garland calling for an ethics investigation into allegations that he has “a financial stake in local school boards adopting a far-left educational curriculum” over reports that his “son-in-law is the co-founder of Panorama Education, Inc., a company that publishes and sells Critical Race Theory and ‘anti-racism’ materials and works with school districts nationwide to obtain and analyze data on students.”