Attorney General Merrick Garland declined to answer a question on Wednesday about his discussions with Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss, the special counsel in the Hunter Biden case.
Republican Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson pressed Garland during his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee over his correspondence with Weiss. He referenced a letter Weiss wrote in July to Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, in which Weiss alluded to discussions he had with DOJ officials over potentially filing charges outside his district without partnering with the local U.S. attorney. (RELATED: Here Are All The Questions Congress Must Ask Merrick Garland About The Hunter Biden Case)
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“With whom did he have those discussions?” Johnson asked.
“I’m not gonna get into the internal deliberations of the department,” Garland replied.
“Oh but you must, sir,” Johnson shot back. “This is important for us. We have oversight responsibility over your department and we need these answers.”
“I made clear that if he wanted to bring a case in any jurisdiction, he would be able to do that. The way you do that is to get an order signed by the attorney general called a 515 order. I promised he would be able to that, and he in his letters made clear he understood he would be able to do that,” Garland said.
“Okay. Can you tell us about any briefings or discussions you personally have had with Mr. Weiss regarding any and all federal investigations of Hunter Biden?” Johnson followed up.
“I’m gonna say again: I promised the Senate that I would not interfere with Mr. Weiss,” Garland responded.
“So, under oath today, your testimony is you have not had any discussions with Mr. Weiss about this matter?” Johnson asked.
“Under oath, my testimony today is that I promised the Senate I would not intrude in his investigation,” Garland answered. “I do not intend to discuss internal Justice Department deliberations whether or not I had them.”
“Oh, okay! So your testimony today is that you’re not going to tell us whether you’ve had discussions with Mr. Weiss?” Johnson pressed.
“My testimony today is I told the committee that I would not interfere. I made clear that Mr. Weiss would have the authority to bring cases that he thought were appropriate—” Garland began before Johnson cut him off.
Garland appointed Weiss special counsel in August to continue the Hunter Biden case. The first son was indicted on Sept. 14 for three counts related to his Oct. 2018 purchase of a Colt Cobra revolver in Delaware while addicted to drugs.