The White House came to the defense of Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday, calling his hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee a "distraction campaign."
Ian Sams, President Joe Biden's spokesman on oversight and investigations, called the hearing a "not-so-sophisticated" method by the House to distract from them hurtling the government toward a shutdown.
"They cannot even pass a military funding bill because extreme House Republicans are demanding devastating cuts like slashing thousands of preschool slots nationwide and thousands of law enforcement jobs," Sams wrote in a statement posted on X.
Republican lawmakers "cranked up a circus of a hearing full of lies and disinformation with the sole goal of baselessly attacking President Biden and his family," he added.
Garland was questioned by the panel earlier in the day about the Department of Justice's handling of its investigation into Hunter Biden, including an apparent move to only pursue felony gun charges for now.
House Republicans also grilled Garland on his decision to promote U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware to special counsel despite a controversial plea deal with Hunter Biden that eventually fell apart.
Garland specifically attempted to shoot down accusations that Weiss, before his selection as special counsel, lacked authority to charge Hunter Biden anywhere in the country to which he wanted.
"If he wanted to bring a case in any jurisdiction, he would be able to do that," Garland said.
Multiple IRS whistleblowers involved in Weiss' initial investigation disputed that Weiss could pursue charges against Hunter Biden outside of Delaware.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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