Arkansas GOP Senator Tom Cotton issued a response to Attorney General Merrick Garland’s insane attempt to stop anyone from talking about information about his department in the wake of telling DOJ employees to abide by his mandate concerning the blocking of speaking to members of Congress.
Garland stated that he was reminding “all Department personnel of our existing policies regarding communications between the Justice Department and Congress,” calling on the central Justice Manual provision (JM 1-8 200.) That particular provision states, “Communications between the Department and Congress … will be managed or coordinated by OLA (Office of Legislative Affairs.)”
The provision goes on, “Except as provided in this chapter, no Department employee may communicate with Senators, Representatives, congressional committees, or congressional staff without advance coordination, consultation, and approval by OLA.”
Cotton sent his own message to the various DOJ employees that went directly against the memo from Garland.
“DOJ employees, take notice: No matter what this memo says, you are protected by federal law if you contact my office to blow the whistle on the improper politicization of the Department of Justice by Merrick Garland and Joe Biden,” he went on.
DOJ employees, take notice: No matter what this memo says, you are protected by federal law if you contact my office to blow the whistle on the improper politicization of the Department of Justice by Merrick Garland and Joe Biden. https://t.co/agu5RJwos8
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) August 31, 2022
Back in October of 2021, Cotton went after Garland, ordering him to take responsibility and “resign in disgrace” for ordering the FBI to investigate and then target “parents at school board meetings.”
Cotton called out Garland because of the basis given for the memo from the Justice Department, which Garland had attempted to justify by highlighting “news reports” along with a letter from the National School Boards Association.
“You keep citing news reports and that’s the most prominent news report that anyone in America has seen. That refers to Scott Smith, whose 15-year-old daughter was raped. She was raped in a bathroom by a boy wearing girl’s clothes and the Loudoun County school board covered it up because it would’ve interfered with their transgender policy during Pride Month,” stated Cotton.
“And that man, Scott Smith, because he went to a school board and tried to defend his daughter’s rights, was condemned internationally. Do you apologize to Scott Smith and his 15-year-old daughter, judge?” questioned Cotton.
Garland attempted to respond: “Senator, anyone whose child was raped – the most horrific crime I can imagine – is certainly entitled and protected by the First Amendment to protest to their school board about this.”
Garland attempted to deny, repeatedly, that the “news reports” that were the foundation for the October 4th memo were not the very same nes reports spoken about within the NSBA letter, despite also seemingly making reference to the letter as a way to justify his directive to the FBI.
“But he was cited by the school board association as a domestic terrorist which we now know that letter and those reports were the basis for your directive,” stated Cotton, though the letter makes use of Smith as just a singular example of individual behavior that could spark any actions that could be seen as “domestic terrorism” or “hate crimes.”
Garland once again tried to deny Cotton’s claims: “No, senator. That’s wrong.”
“This is shameful. Judge, this is shameful,” stated Cotton, bringing his period of questioning to an end. “This testimony, your directive, your performance is shameful. Thank God you are not on the Supreme Court. You should resign in disgrace, judge.”
