The Five react to grilling of Merrick Garland on Capitol Hill
Panel discusses GOP senators questioning the AG over DOJ school board memo
Fox News host Jesse Watters tore into Attorney General Merrick Garland Wednesday for standing by his memo to Department of Justice employees addressing a federal response to violence and intimidation of school board officials.
Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday the National School Boards Association's apology over the letter that inspired his memo would not affect the DOJ's position when it comes to intervening in threats against school board officials.
"What a puppet," Watters said on "The Five." "He is such a puppet of the radical left, and dumb. He’s not articulate. He couldn’t answer a single question. He is a dumb puppet and he’s a corrupt puppet because his family makes money on pushing CRT."
Attorney General Merrick Garland testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing examining the Department of Justice on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. (Tasos Katopodis/Pool via AP) (Tasos Katopodis/Pool via AP)
When he appeared before the House Judiciary Committee last week, Garland acknowledged the influence of the NSBA's original letter, which cited instances including non-violent behavior by frustrated parents that did not include threats, but that was deemed disruptive.
Watters said Garland's refusal to back away from the memo despite the NSBA's updated statement is reminiscent of the FBI's reliance on the Steele dossier even though its allegations were unverified and unsubstantiated.
"The letter blows up. Instead of just dropping it, he continues the FBI task force," he observed. "What does this remind you of? It reminds me of when the dossier was determined, early, to be debunked, and they continued to use it to spy on Trump."
Merrick Garland, U.S. attorney general, during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021.. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
Watters questioned Garland's focus on the matter, wondering whether his time as attorney general would be better spent on U.S. national security.
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"Imagine you are the attorney general and you think about the threat matrix coming in," Watters said. "What do we have to worry about? Sex trafficking, gun tracking, Chinese espionage, ISIS sympathizers, counterfeiters, corporate fraudsters … but no. A lib sends a letter to the attorney general and he says, 'We are going to stick the FBI on angry parents.'"
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