Rep. Mike Johnson Blasts DOJ as “More Motivated by Politics Than Law Enforcement,” Demands Garland Return to Testify

On 12/8/2021, Rep. Mike Johnson delivered a forceful speech during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, accusing the Department of Justice under President Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland of being “more motivated by politics than by pressing law enforcement needs.” Johnson demanded that Garland return before the committee to answer questions about the FBI’s use of counterterrorism tools against parents at school board meetings and his family’s financial ties to critical race theory curriculum.

”Either Dishonest or Incompetent”

Johnson laid out what he called only two possible explanations for Garland’s testimony. The Attorney General had previously told the committee under oath that the DOJ was not targeting parents who spoke out at school board meetings. But subsequent revelations showed the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division was using a “threat tag” to track parents.

“Did he mislead us? Or did he actually not know what the two largest divisions of the Department of Justice are doing about one of the highest profile issues in America today?” Johnson asked. “There’s only two possibilities. He’s either dishonest or he’s incompetent. And either of those scenarios should alarm the American people.”

The School Board Letter and Its Aftermath

Johnson traced the controversy to a letter the National School Board Association sent to the White House referring to concerned parents as “domestic terrorists and perpetrators of hate crimes.” Attorney General Garland issued a memo directing the FBI and U.S. attorneys to intervene in school board disputes just five days later.

“Guess what? The Attorney General said that was the basis for his memo. That was under oath, my friends,” Johnson said. “You treat American parents as domestic terrorists. That’s outrageous.”

Johnson pointed to the fallout as evidence that the letter was indefensible. “If all that’s true, why have 17 states left the National School Board Association?” he asked. “If all that’s true, why did the National School Board Association apologize for the letter that was the catalyst for all of this? I think that’s a pretty obvious question that a lot of people would kind of want to know the answer to.”

A Long List of Political Actions

Johnson recounted the DOJ’s actions under Biden as evidence of politicization. “Just think of some of the actions that the Federal Department of Justice has done this year,” Johnson said. “They sued Texas for its pro-life law. They sued Georgia for its election integrity law. They sued Texas again, this time over the redistricting plan. They’re aiming federal law enforcement power at parents protesting their local school boards. They’re pushing to pay illegal immigrants for President Trump’s decision to enforce their immigration laws.”

“At this point, it’s entirely fair to ask whether there’s any state or local or, let’s say, matter of personal conscience that the President and his cabinet won’t insert themselves into,” Johnson said.

Unaddressed Crises

Johnson contrasted the DOJ’s political actions with what he described as the real crises going unaddressed. “Our southern border remains overwhelmed by illegal immigration. It’s a crisis they won’t even acknowledge, much less address,” he said. “Federal and private property is being vandalized nightly. U.S. senators are being harassed in restrooms, at their private homes. This thing is out of control.”

“And millions of Americans are rightly concerned that instead of addressing all these pressing needs facing the country — this is the DOJ’s job — what are they doing instead?” Johnson asked. “They’re using the DOJ as a tool to advance far-left policies. They’re attacking Republican-led actions, state actions, and further eroding the free will of the American people.”

Garland’s Ethics Conflict

Johnson raised what he called an “egregious abuse of power” that Garland had refused to address. “His own family has a direct financial interest in selling the curriculum materials, critical race theory and otherwise, that parents are going to their local school board meetings to protest,” Johnson said. “And these are the parents that he deployed the full weight of the Department of Justice against.”

“The idea that he refuses to submit to a simple federal ethics inquiry about this is just beyond us,” Johnson added, pointing to a placard reading “48 days” — the number of days without responses from the committee chairman and the Democratic majority.

Demands for Subpoenas

Johnson called for the committee to pass a resolution issuing subpoenas to bring Garland back. “We need to pass this resolution and issue those subpoenas so we get the Attorney General, the highest law enforcement official in America, right in front of us again, to ask him these questions — pointed and directed — and he needs to give responses,” Johnson said. “He has to clear this up.”

Rep. Matt Gaetz also weighed in during the hearing. “I would just say it’s quite rich to hear the folks that brought us the Russia hoax talk about conspiracy theories,” Gaetz said. “Maybe in a few years, Mr. Swalwell will want to bring up the Russia hoax as a cold case.”

Key Takeaways

Rep. Johnson accused the DOJ under Biden and Garland of being “more motivated by politics than by pressing law enforcement needs,” citing lawsuits against Texas and Georgia and the targeting of parents.
Johnson said Garland was “either dishonest or incompetent” for testifying the DOJ was not targeting parents while the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division used threat tags to track them.
He noted 17 states had left the National School Board Association and the association itself had apologized for the letter calling parents “domestic terrorists.”
Johnson raised Garland’s family financial interest in selling critical race theory curriculum materials as an unaddressed ethics conflict.
Republicans demanded subpoenas to bring Garland back before the committee after 48 days without responses from the Democratic majority.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

The Department of Justice under the leadership of President Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland appears to be more motivated by politics than by pressing law enforcement needs.
There’s only two possibilities. He’s either dishonest or he’s incompetent. And either of those scenarios should alarm the American people.
If all that’s true, why have 17 states left the National School Board Association? Why did the National School Board Association apologize for the letter that was the catalyst for all of this?
They sued Texas for its pro-life law. They sued Georgia for its election integrity law. They sued Texas again this time over the redistricting plan. They’re aiming federal law enforcement power at parents protesting their local school boards.
His own family has a direct financial interest in selling the curriculum materials, critical race theory and otherwise, that parents are going to their local school board meetings to protest.
It’s quite rich to hear the folks that brought us the Russia hoax talk about conspiracy theories.

Full transcript: 1028 words transcribed via Whisper AI.