Emerald Coast Times

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ),” U.S. Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01) questioned U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding allegations that the DOJ coordinated legal actions against former President Donald Trump with state and local prosecutors. AG Garland described such claims as a “conspiracy theory.”

Despite these assertions, AG Garland did not commit to providing Rep. Gaetz with DOJ communications involving various state and federal prosecutors. This interaction follows a pattern from last year when AG Garland similarly declined to answer questions from Rep. Gaetz about Joe and Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings.

During the hearing, Rep. Gaetz pressed AG Garland on whether the DOJ communicates with offices such as those of Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis, and Letitia James. AG Garland responded that these are independent offices and reiterated that any request for documents would be referred to the Office of Legislative Affairs.

Rep. Gaetz also questioned AG Garland about his previous conduct as a judge, specifically regarding political donations and potential conflicts of interest involving family members profiting from cases before his court. AG Garland declined to comment on specific cases or hypotheticals presented by Rep. Gaetz.

Additionally, Rep. Gaetz raised concerns about Matthew Colangelo’s career trajectory, suggesting it was part of a coordinated effort against Trump. AG Garland denied dispatching Mr. Colangelo anywhere and stated he had no involvement in Mr. Colangelo's job applications.

The discussion concluded with Rep. Gaetz expressing concerns about what he termed "lawfare" against President Trump, which he believes could cause significant disruption beyond their tenures in public service.