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Merrick Garland vows to lead Capitol attack prosecutions if confirmed as attorney general

Feb. 21, 2021 04:05AM EST
 Dan Ackermann

Merrick Garland, President Biden's nominee for attorney general, will pledge during his confirmation hearing next week to take the lead in prosecuting those charged over the U.S. Capitol siege.

Driving the news: In his opening statement released Saturday night, Garland plans to tell the Senate Judiciary Committee that if confirmed, he'll fight discrimination and domestic terrorism while operating independently of Biden.

Opening statement highlights: "The President nominates the Attorney General to be the lawyer — not for any individual, but for the people of the United States," Garland will say.

  • On the Capitol siege, Garland will say that he plans to "supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6 — a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government."

Read Garland's full opening statement, via DocumentCloud:

Editor's note: This a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

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