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Mr. Sparkle

(3,688 posts)
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 01:57 PM 3 hrs ago

Top Oversight Democrat says Merrick Garland should testify on Epstein

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that former Attorney General Merrick Garland, who served under former President Biden, should testify to Congress about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“Why the [Department of Justice (DOJ)] under Merrick Garland, or others, weren’t forthcoming in what was actually in these files, I think is an important question that has to be answered,” Garcia, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, told CNN’s Pamela Brown on “The Situation Room.”

“I’ve talked to [House Oversight Committee] Chairman [James] Comer [(R-Ky.)], I think it’s important that we hear from Merrick Garland, and others, and former directors of the FBI and former attorneys general. That is an important part of this investigation.”

“What are you doing, in terms of that, for accountability?” Brown asked Garcia. “We’ve asked — we want to see them actually testify, I want to get answers from these officials. So, we’ve made those requests to Chairman Comer, I believe there will be additional subpoenas and requests made in the near future,” Garcia responded.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5753232-garcia-garland-epstein-investigation/

41 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Top Oversight Democrat says Merrick Garland should testify on Epstein (Original Post) Mr. Sparkle 3 hrs ago OP
Oh BeyondGeography 3 hrs ago #1
DURec leftstreet 3 hrs ago #2
Great idea! And while they're at it, please subpoena whomever at SDNY requested NM to stop ranch investigation in 2019 SheltieLover 2 hrs ago #3
Years of silence Tetrachloride 2 hrs ago #4
Merrick Garland also has standing Mblaze 2 hrs ago #5
Lol. msfiddlestix 2 hrs ago #6
Agree. Spineless weasels like Garland never stand up for anything. BannonsLiver 1 hr ago #19
he's trying to appear even-handed here bigtree 1 hr ago #27
Bill Barr needs to be deposed. poli-junkie 2 hrs ago #7
Yes, Barr and Garland both need to testify FakeNoose 1 hr ago #13
Gooooood! Prairie Gates 2 hrs ago #8
🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞 Whyisthisstillclose 2 hrs ago #9
Merrick Garland would take the 5th... Escape 2 hrs ago #10
Merrick Garland has never and would never take the 5th. SunSeeker 1 hr ago #12
Thank you. Well said Raven123 1 hr ago #26
Epstein-related files could not be legally released during Garland's term because Maxwell's case was still under appeal bigtree 2 hrs ago #11
Here comes the Garland Society. BannonsLiver 1 hr ago #14
There is certainly grounds for criticizing Garland for his slow prosecution of Trump, but not for this. SunSeeker 1 hr ago #22
I've heard all those excuses and rationalizations before. BannonsLiver 1 hr ago #24
Those are not "rationalizations" about the handling of the Epstein files, they're facts. SunSeeker 42 min ago #39
When Bondi threw Garland's name at Ted Lieu he didn't disagree with her premise that Garland was delinquent on Epstein BeyondGeography 30 min ago #41
Exactly. Thank you bigtree. He didn't want to comment because it could endanger the conviction, which was on appeal. SunSeeker 1 hr ago #16
this expectation of some is a degeneration of norms bigtree 1 hr ago #23
Sounds sorta like can't fight the fire until the house KPN 1 hr ago #21
I may have a different interpretation of 'still interviewing witnesses' than you bigtree 1 hr ago #25
There's some management tools called priorities, assignment of resources, KPN 1 hr ago #28
none of which have been shown by anyone to have been neglected or mismanaged bigtree 1 hr ago #31
You have your opinion. I have mine. This was a big deal as KPN 42 min ago #38
UH OH, Escape 1 hr ago #15
I like to call it the Garland Society. BannonsLiver 1 hr ago #18
One million files and nothing was done The Blue Flower 1 hr ago #17
Incompetence or worse? KPN 1 hr ago #29
Blaming Biden's DOJ is everywhere on right wing social media. progressoid 1 hr ago #20
Lol. In some ways, I can't disagree. KPN 1 hr ago #30
We need to have a GOOD answer to this or it will cost us in the election. Currently our answer is that Scrivener7 54 min ago #35
Instead of wasting time on Garland... appmanga 1 hr ago #32
This. Good idea. Scrivener7 57 min ago #34
THIS SunSeeker 39 min ago #40
Garland won't tell us anything. Bring on Jack Smith to talk about his investigations. Scrivener7 1 hr ago #33
The deep of corruption in the current and former DOJ is very enlightening. Pretty obvious walkingman 50 min ago #36
Brilliant idea xuplate 46 min ago #37

SheltieLover

(79,193 posts)
3. Great idea! And while they're at it, please subpoena whomever at SDNY requested NM to stop ranch investigation in 2019
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 02:35 PM
2 hrs ago

Mblaze

(954 posts)
5. Merrick Garland also has standing
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 02:40 PM
2 hrs ago

To defend the legality of the choice of Jack Smith as special counsel in the Trump / top secret files case. He should stand tall for releasing the results of Smith's investigation.

msfiddlestix

(8,173 posts)
6. Lol.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 02:45 PM
2 hrs ago

The notion of Garland being forthcoming is rather naive at best, who is Garcia playing I wonder?

BannonsLiver

(20,395 posts)
19. Agree. Spineless weasels like Garland never stand up for anything.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:51 PM
1 hr ago

Except for maybe the GOP and Federalist Society. Merr is a member of both, which his misguided devotees seem to conveniently overlook.

bigtree

(93,845 posts)
27. he's trying to appear even-handed here
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:15 PM
1 hr ago

...by saying he's not only looking for information from Bondi and Trump's DOJ, but has an equal opportunity expectation of accountability.

It doesn't mean that Garland is hiding something or did something wrong. It's a position of non-partisanship, much more than some indictment of Garland as many of the replies here suggest.

poli-junkie

(1,538 posts)
7. Bill Barr needs to be deposed.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 02:52 PM
2 hrs ago

He orchestrated the nabbing of Epstein and evidence at Epstein's NYC townhouse, island, and Zorro Ranch.

I think Barr was involved in Epstein's "suicide".

FakeNoose

(41,064 posts)
13. Yes, Barr and Garland both need to testify
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:34 PM
1 hr ago

Not together of course. Not even on the same day. But they both need ot face the American people and answer our questions honestly and completely.

Escape

(429 posts)
10. Merrick Garland would take the 5th...
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:09 PM
2 hrs ago

and refuse to comment on anything that might implicate Trump in a crime.

You know----like he did for four straight years as Attorney General.

SunSeeker

(58,095 posts)
12. Merrick Garland has never and would never take the 5th.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:30 PM
1 hr ago

But he may refuse to comment on the ground that there is an ongoing investigation/litigation. It's the same reason Garland never discussed Epstein while he was in office.

bigtree

(93,845 posts)
11. Epstein-related files could not be legally released during Garland's term because Maxwell's case was still under appeal
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:13 PM
2 hrs ago

....but let's just run with this fact-free innuendo against Garland.

Better yet, let's take focus off of this Trump controlled DOJ and their responsibility for presently violating the law just passed that mandates release of all files.

Let's focus on something that invites a 'both sides' deflection which has already been addressed by Merrick Garland.


Holder and Garland deny knowledge of Epstein files in letters to House Oversight Committee

"Although I cannot rule out that I ever received a status update on matters pertaining to Mr. Epstein or Ms. Maxwell in my role as Attorney General, I do not recall any such update or any other kind of report," Garland wrote to the committee.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/holder-and-garland-deny-knowledge-of-epstein-files-in-letters-to-house-oversight-committee/ar-AA1NH0iG


...we can call Garland a liar on this without any proof presented at all, or, we can look at some facts:


julie k. brown* @jkbjournalist
Again...the Epstein case was still an OPEN criminal investigation during the Biden administration. They had an open grand jury ... And even after Maxwell's conviction, the case was on appeal -- anyone in law enforcement knows you don't open your case file when it's still under appeal. There were still victims going to the FBI with new information. That changed when Trump's DOJ reviewed the files and closed the case in July. · Nov 17, 2025

*Miami Herald journalist whose investigation led to the arrests of Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell. Author, "Perversion of Justice."

JB quoted: "There were still victims going to the FBI with new information. That changed when Trump's DOJ reviewed the files and closed the case in July."
https://www.unilad.com/news/us-news/why-biden-didnt-release-epstein-files-377071-20251120

BannonsLiver

(20,395 posts)
14. Here comes the Garland Society.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:36 PM
1 hr ago

Like a moth to light

Imagine being that devoted to…Merrick Garland.

SunSeeker

(58,095 posts)
22. There is certainly grounds for criticizing Garland for his slow prosecution of Trump, but not for this.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:00 PM
1 hr ago

Garland didn't want to comment on Epstein because it could endanger the conviction, which was on appeal. Trump is constantly commenting on ongoing criminal litigation, like the lawless idiot that he is, and it has indeed hurt the prosecutors in those cases. Trump's hateful language about the defendants created evidence of selective prosecution, giving grounds for dismissal, as happened with Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

To bang this drum that Democrats could have brought up what's in the Epstein files during Biden’s administration, but didn’t, plays into the Trump/Republican narrative that Democrats are only bringing it up now for political reasons. That fact is, the Epstein files were the subject of ongoing investigations until July of 2025 when Bondi announced closure of all pending Epstein related investigations, and issued a memo announcing that no further investigations or disclosures were warranted. https://www.npr.org/2025/07/07/g-s1-76367/doj-jeffrey-epstein-memo#:~:text=Bondi%20has%20long%20promised%20to,let%20her%20speak%20for%20that.%22

BannonsLiver

(20,395 posts)
24. I've heard all those excuses and rationalizations before.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:04 PM
1 hr ago

Not impressed, moved, swayed etc. better question is why Garland devotees are so opposed to him testifying. Very odd.

SunSeeker

(58,095 posts)
39. Those are not "rationalizations" about the handling of the Epstein files, they're facts.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:42 PM
42 min ago

As far as his handling of the Trump prosecutions, I think it is pretty clear the consensus is, even among the people you call the "Garland Society," that he should have moved faster and more aggressively. Hindsight is 20/20.

I don’t know any "Garland devotees," nor anyone here who opposes him testifying.

We should not repeat right wing talking points here.

BeyondGeography

(40,985 posts)
41. When Bondi threw Garland's name at Ted Lieu he didn't disagree with her premise that Garland was delinquent on Epstein
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:54 PM
30 min ago

“Merrick Garland dropped the ball,” were his exact words.

Ted Lieu is not one to parrot RW talking points. I would like to see him question Garland.

SunSeeker

(58,095 posts)
16. Exactly. Thank you bigtree. He didn't want to comment because it could endanger the conviction, which was on appeal.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:41 PM
1 hr ago

Trump is constantly commenting on ongoing criminal litigation, like the lawless idiot that he is, and it has indeed hurt the prosecutors in those cases. Trump's hateful language about the defendants created evidence of selective prosecution, giving grounds for dismissal, as happened with Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

bigtree

(93,845 posts)
23. this expectation of some is a degeneration of norms
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:00 PM
1 hr ago

...but more than that, it's a part of the frustration watching the republicans and Trump break every rule and law they want that's in their way, seemingly with ultimate impunity from accountability and judgment.

It's part of why dictatorships often have appeal to populaces who've been subjected to government failure to produce for the people.

When trust in the systems in place that are supposed to ensure and defend those things collapses, that appeal of 'extra-judicial' or similar disdain for laws and norms blocking interference or partisan political use of the DOJ can ignite in that vacuum of lawlessness in favor of a sort of righteous vigilantism which throws it all in a chaotic muddle of competing interests, instead of strict adherence to the law.

That's what people who are invested in the law are protecting when they, for instance, refuse to publicly reveal dirt of political opponents; especially in the midst of a political election in which one of the candidates is a subject of investigation.

There's also an unhealthy expectation that the Garland DOJ should have been more concerned with winning the election for Democrats, instead of following the evidence and defending it against appeals and challenges in the grand jury process which all federal prosecutions first rely on to bring forth charges on the jury's recommendation.

Absolute power corrupts. absolutely.

KPN

(17,276 posts)
21. Sounds sorta like can't fight the fire until the house
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:57 PM
1 hr ago

had burned totally to the ground. Just sayin …

Justice for All? Oh, suurrrrre!

bigtree

(93,845 posts)
25. I may have a different interpretation of 'still interviewing witnesses' than you
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:09 PM
1 hr ago

...understanding that the DOJ is engaged in myriad similar investigations in which the AG does not personally involve themselves.

The fact that Trump's name was all over it would be cause for more restraint by the AG from interfering with the FBI's efforts, not less, in any planet earth DOJ ever.

KPN

(17,276 posts)
28. There's some management tools called priorities, assignment of resources,
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:16 PM
1 hr ago

deadlines and so on — not to mention strategic planing, management by objectives, identification of mission critical purpose and goals. You know, the basics of organizational management.

bigtree

(93,845 posts)
31. none of which have been shown by anyone to have been neglected or mismanaged
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:19 PM
1 hr ago

...it's s fishing expedition, at best, on a dry lake bed thousands of miles from the muddy creek where Epstein lived.

KPN

(17,276 posts)
38. You have your opinion. I have mine. This was a big deal as
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:42 PM
42 min ago

was seeking full accountability for J6. They should have been higher priority than they ultimately were especially knowing the risk and foreseeable consequences of another run for the Presidency by the criminal in chief.

Escape

(429 posts)
15. UH OH,
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:41 PM
1 hr ago

looks like the Garland family has arrived..

Merrick Garland is responsible for Donald Trump being president today instead of Inmate 47.

I won't ever be OK with that.





BannonsLiver

(20,395 posts)
18. I like to call it the Garland Society.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:49 PM
1 hr ago

Made up of those who are slavishly devoted to protecting the legacy of the most ineffectual, weak, mealy mouthed dipshit to ever lead the DOJ.

progressoid

(52,959 posts)
20. Blaming Biden's DOJ is everywhere on right wing social media.
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 03:51 PM
1 hr ago

The go-to post from nearly every MAGA is something like, "why didn't the Dems do something when they had power?!!?11"

I doubt MAGAs would believe anything Garland has to say, but it would be nice to have it on the public record.

Scrivener7

(59,170 posts)
35. We need to have a GOOD answer to this or it will cost us in the election. Currently our answer is that
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:29 PM
54 min ago

there was a investigation and when that was over there were appeals, and therefore Democrats didn't release the information.

Well, there are still appeals going on, and we aren't hesitating to ask for their release despite that.

We need to make that make sense.

Even if someone has the balls to say, "You're right. We should have" it would be better than the current illogic.

appmanga

(1,448 posts)
32. Instead of wasting time on Garland...
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:22 PM
1 hr ago

...how about subpoenaing Maurene Comey? When I hear about a person "being familiar with the contents of the files", my mind immediately goes to her. She might be glad to testify.

walkingman

(10,615 posts)
36. The deep of corruption in the current and former DOJ is very enlightening. Pretty obvious
Wed Feb 25, 2026, 04:34 PM
50 min ago

that we have a justice system that has a different set of rules for different people. USA USA USA

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