Congressman Cohen Says Effort to Hold Attorney General Garland in Contempt Demonstrates Republican Hypocrisy

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) described as “despicable, almost treasonous” the behavior of Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans who have condemned as unjust the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump in New York involving hush money payments to a porn star.

Congressman Cohen spoke during debate over a contempt citation against Attorney General Merrick Garland for refusing to provide the audio tape of Special Counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Biden involving his unintentional retention of classified documents when he was vice president. Hur declined to prosecute Biden and Garland’s Justice Department has provided the Committee with a transcript of the interview.

In his remarks, Congressman Cohen said in part:

“Several of our colleagues went to New York and said that our justice, our rule of law, is false, that this case in New York was political and shouldn’t have taken place. The thing we’re most respected for around the world is the rule of law. People envy us for our rule of law. To have people who know better go and trash it is despicable, almost treasonous. The hypocrisy -- that this Committee would question Merrick Garland, who appointed a Republican to look into President Biden’s conduct…(Hur) said he was a ‘sympathetic, elderly man with a poor memory.’ The fact that he was sympathetic is why he would not be convicted, as distinguished from his forthcoming opponent and past opponent who is a despicable, mendacious man with a poor knowledge of history and government, with a poor memory to boot. A man whose Secretary of State said was a ‘moron’…John Kelly, his Chief of Staff, said he admires autocrats and dictators, and has no conception of the rule of law or concern for democracy in our country. His Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, said he was a threat to democracy. John Bolton declared him to be unfit to be president. And, of course, Mike Pence said they had profound differences…What an example we have for the American public and young people. Joe Biden is, as Colin Jost said at the Correspondents Dinner, a decent man…”

See Congressman Cohen’s entire speech here.

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