Rep. Nadler Goes Right After Jim Jordan to Kickoff Blockbuster Garland Hearing: Everything You Just Said Has Been ‘Completely Refuted’
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), in his opening statement at the House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice,” struck back against several claims made by committee chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) right off the bat.
Testifying before the committee was Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was expected to clarify his duties in President Joe Biden’s administration, and defend the Department of Justice investigation into Hunter Biden. It has been claimed that the president’s son, who has been indicted on gun charges, was a beneficiary of a “two-tier justice system” that gave him special treatment but target former President Donald Trump, who has been indicted twice on separate federal charges by special prosecutor Jack Smith.
After Jordan made his opening statement, Nadler offered up the Robert’s Rules of Order version of Joe Pesci’s famous opening statement line from My Cousin Vinny. (“Everything that guy just said is bullshit.”) But Nadler went into a bit more detail:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, at the outset, let me make two comments. One: Just about every assertion you made in your opening statement has been completely refuted by witnesses who have testified before this committee.
Two: Far from being favored, many commentators have noted that people accused of simple gun possession while under the influence of a drug, when that gun was not used in the commission of a crime, are rarely, if ever, prosecuted the way Hunter Biden is being prosecuted.
Mr. Chairman, one of this committee’s most important duties is conducting oversight of the Department of Justice. We are called upon to ensure that the DOJ uses the enormous amount of power it is granted in a fair and just manner that respects the civil and human rights of all Americans. The Attorney General of the United States oversees issues that affect the lives of each and every American: violent crime, drug trafficking, tax and civil rights, threats to our national security, and environmental crimes all fall under his purview. That is why we regularly request that he or she appear before this committee to speak about the work the department is doing for the welfare of the country. This is how we ensure that the department stays accountable to the American people.
But if it were up to the Republicans, Americans would hear nothing about any of these substantive issues today. They would hear nothing about the rise in domestic terrorism and what the Justice Department is doing about it. They would hear nothing about what the department is doing to stop hate crimes and prevent gun violence. They would hear nothing about how the department is disrupting efforts by Russia, China, and others to interfere in our elections. Extreme MAGA Republicans have poisoned our vital oversight work. They’ve ignored our legitimate oversight responsibilities and used their power to stage one political stunt after another. They have wasted countless taxpayer dollars on baseless investigations into President Biden and his family, desperate to find evidence for an absurd impeachment, and desperate to distract from the mounting legal peril facing Donald Trump.
Watch the clip above via MSNBC.
