The Senate confirmed Merrick Garland to be U.S. attorney general.
Federal judge garners strong bipartisan vote to serve as AG
The Senate confirmed Merrick Garland on Wednesday to be the next U.S. attorney general with a strong bipartisan vote.
Democrats have praised Garland, a federal appeals court judge who was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court in 2016. Many Republicans praised him as well, saying he has the right record and temperament for the moment. He was confirmed 70-30.
“After Donald Trump spent four years — four long years — subverting the powers of the Justice Department for his own political benefit, treating the attorney general like his own personal defense lawyer, America can breathe a sigh of relief that we’re going to have someone like Merrick Garland leading the Justice Department,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said ahead of the vote. “Someone with integrity, independence, respect for the rule of law and credibility on both sides of the aisle.”
Senate Republican Leader Mitch Mcconnell said he was voting to confirm Garland because of “his long reputation as a straight shooter and a legal expert” and that his “left-of-center perspective” was still within the legal mainstream.
“Let’s hope our incoming attorney general applies that no-nonsense approach to the serious challenges facing the Department of Justice and our nation,” Mcconnell said.
Garland will inherit immediate political challenges, including an ongoing criminal tax investigation into President Joe Biden’s son Hunter and a federal probe into the overseas and business dealings of Trump ally and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, which stalled last year over a dispute about investigative tactics as Trump unsuccessfully sought re-election.
Garland’s confirmation also comes amid calls from many Democrats to pursue inquiries of Trump.
Separately, Garland will also be responsible for overseeing a special counsel investigation into the origins of the Russia probe, which shadowed Trump’s presidency for more than two years. Garland will have to decide how to handle it and what to make public.