Jim Jordan unsettles Merrick Garland with persistent questioning regarding Jack Smith's appointment.

Jim Jordan unsettles Merrick Garland with persistent questioning regarding Jack Smith’s appointment. | June 5, 2024

During Tuesday’s session, Attorney General Merrick Garland found himself facing a formidable audience as he testified before the GOP-led House Judiciary Committee. The atmosphere was tense, with Republican lawmakers pulling no punches during the committee’s oversight hearing.

The intensity of the questioning was heightened by recent actions taken by a pair of Republican-led House committees. These committees voted to advance contempt proceedings against Garland, sparked by his refusal to disclose audio recordings of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

One of the most notable moments came when Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) confronted Garland about his appointment of Jack Smith as special counsel in former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case, particularly considering Smith’s prior roles. Jordan questioned Garland’s decision, asking, “There are probably other people who you would describe as independent, longtime career prosecutors. Why did you pick this? And probably the most high profile special counsel investigation, maybe in American history, you’re going to be investigating a former president, a candidate for president and leading in all the polls, and you pick Jack Smith?”