Blumenthal Meets With Attorney General Nominee Merrick Garland

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, met virtually with President Biden’s nominee for Attorney General, Judge Merrick Garland. During the meeting, Blumenthal and Garland discussed the challenges facing the Department of Justice, including restoring its integrity and political independence.

Blumenthal and Garland also discussed the recently released Department of Justice Inspector General report on the Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” and family separation policy, and Blumenthal urged Garland to consider additional review of how the program was developed and implemented, including whether or not any civil rights or criminal laws were broken. Blumenthal was a vocal opponent of the policy and traveled to the U.S. – Mexico border in July 2018 to visit the tent camp in Tornillo, Texas where children who had been removed from their families were temporarily housed.

“Judge Garland and I both went to work in the Justice Department in the post-Watergate era – another time during which the Department of Justice faced questions about its integrity and independence in the aftermath of a corrupt and poisonous administration,” Blumenthal said. “We both share a deep reverence for the institution, respect for its career workforce, and commitment to restoring its integrity. That experience is just one of many reasons I know Judge Garland is uniquely well-qualified to tackle the historic challenges currently facing the Department of Justice.”

During the call, Blumenthal shared his desire to work with the incoming administration on enacting gun violence prevention, implementing police accountability and reform, protecting voting rights, combatting domestic terrorism and extremism, and reforming Section 230 by approving legislation such as the EARN IT Act. Blumenthal and Garland discussed the ways the administration can take immediate action on these issues. For example, although Blumenthal and U.S. Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA) passed the Death in Custody Reporting Act through Congress in 2014, it has never been fully implemented or enforced. Blumenthal and Garland also talked about the importance of confirming a permanent Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). ATF has been led by an Acting Director since 2015, severely hindering the agency’s ability to fulfill its mandate and protect against the unlawful use, manufacture, and possession of firearms.

Blumenthal also raised his concerns regarding the long-delayed release of an Inspector General report on the FBI’s handling of the investigation into Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse of Olympic and National Team gymnasts and athletes.

-30-