Attorney General Merrick Garland comes out swinging

| 10:00 pm EDT May 13, 2021
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At Wednesday’s Senate Appropriations hearing, despite Republican pushback citing racial unrest protests sometimes turned riotous, Merrick Garland held firm telling it like it is — right-wing extremists, and white supremacists in particular, pose the biggest terrorism threat to our country.

Garland and Homeland Security’s Alejandro Mayorkas both testified that white supremacist extremists are the most persistent and lethal threat. They are dedicating more resources to their fight against domestic terrorism, creating new intelligence initiatives, and working with foreign partners and tech companies to help stem the growing threat.

Garland expressed continuing acute concern with the Jan. 6th insurrection by Trump supporters, but said the DOJ would “investigate and prosecute violations of law regardless of ideology.” The hearing did reinforce the challenge of addressing domestic extremism not just because of rancorous partisan divides, but also because of civil liberty concerns.

Meanwhile, at a House Oversight Committee Hearing uncannily also held on Wednesday, House Republicans, including Andrew Clyde, Jody Hice, and Paul Gosar testified the January 6th insurrection did not happen — it was just “tourists.” They gave testimony so flagrantly false it was beyond shocking.

Clyde claimed the Trump supporters behaved “in an orderly fashion … It was not an insurrection. That is the truth.” According to Paul Gosar, law enforcement officials “were harassing peaceful patriots.” House Democrat Stephen Lynch responded, “I find it hard to believe the revisionist history that’s being offered.”

Certain Republicans are either lying purposely to see who can shock and dismay the most, or have become completely Orwellian in their lies: They have gone beyond lying and momentary delusion, to having an entire world view of falsehoods, so blinded by delusion and conspiracy theories they refuse to believe even that which can be seen with their own eyes.

Back to reality at the Senate hearing, Merrick Garland stated he has “not seen a more dangerous threat to democracy than the invasion of the Capitol.” He further made clear, “…this would be the one that we prioritize because it is the most dangerous threat to our democracy.”

In response to the House testimony, I would suggest Trumplicans in particular watch a CNN video of the Jan. 6th attack from the point of view of Officer Fanone, whom Don Lemon befriended — it made him tear up.