‘He Has Thumbed His Nose At This Very Institution’: GOP Lawmaker Castigates AG Merrick Garland

4 months ago

During House floor remarks prior to the Congressional recess, Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) demanded Attorney General Merrick Garland be held in inherent contempt.

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Transcript

00:00To thank the gentlewoman for bringing this resolution. It is with a heavy heart that

00:04we are here today. Look, no one wanted to take it to this step. This has been forced upon us

00:10by the Attorney General of the United States of America. He has thumbed his nose at this

00:16very institution. Mr. Speaker, if you look in the drawer right below you right there,

00:20because I was up there two days ago, and you pull out the drawer, there is a book this thick,

00:24the Jefferson Manual. On page 142 through 147, you will find delineated and described

00:33caseloads of inherent contempt upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States.

00:39Now, I will grant you this. This tool in the toolbox of the U.S. House of Representatives

00:44has not been used in some time, but that does not mean it is ineffective and should not be used.

00:51This body is precious. We need to protect this body, and when another branch of this

00:57government thumbs its nose at this body, we have to act to protect the reputation

01:04and the prestige of this body, or we will lose it. The Attorney General is not above the law.

01:11Merrick Garland, as a federal judge, if someone had ignored his subpoena, he would have them

01:16in jail, locked up that night. Our option under the Jefferson Manual is to do that very thing,

01:23to have the Sergeant of Arms go and arrest the Attorney General. We are choosing not to do this

01:29instead. A $10,000 fine until he turned over this tape. And no, at this point, this is not about

01:36what's on this tape. This is about the principle of the United States House of Representatives

01:42protecting its reputation and bringing to justice, bringing to light the information on that tape,

01:50and securing the liberties of the United States of America. If we do not do this,

01:57our republic will be lost. This is so important to our body and the future

02:02of what we must do here. And with that, I yield back.

‘He Has Thumbed His Nose At This Very Institution’: GOP Lawmaker Castigates AG Merrick Garland

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