Merrick Garland is set to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday morning at 9:30am ET as he is vetted as Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Justice Department.
Five years ago, Garland was the poster boy for Republican obstruction as a Supreme Court nominee. Today he will face scrutiny from four likely 2024 GOP contenders looking to highlight their brand in a Senate Judiciary Committee that includes Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Ben Sasse, and Tom Cotton.
Bruising confirmation fights can be breakout moments for senators, as evidenced by now-Vice President Kamala Harris’s questioning of Trump nominees.
Garland is expected to face plenty of questions, but is generally regarded as an easy confirmation, as his selection has been praised by Democrats and Republicans alike.
Garland plans to tell the committee that he plans to supervise the prosecution of white supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6, while touting equal and impartial justice.
Hawley so far is the only GOP senator to vote against every nominee of Biden’s Cabinet.
Meanwhile, senior Senate Republicans who opposed Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court are already suggesting they will back him for attorney general. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a Judiciary panel member and close adviser to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), has already said that he’ll support Garland’s nomination.
And although McConnell hasn’t said how he’ll vote, during Trump’s presidency he suggested to then-President Trump back in 2017 that Garland be appointed to lead the FBI.
You can tune in to the livestream of the hearings today below, again sheduled to begin at 9:30am ET.