“Conscience doth make cowards of us all.” Those words from Hamlet captured the moral dilemma for many of us as we face the costs of conscience.
For each of us, there often comes a moment when our principles are put to an undeniable and unavoidable test. It may be as simple as cheating on a test, shoplifting a product, or admitting to a wrong. It is natural to want to avoid such moments, particularly when we cannot even admit to ourselves that we may not be the person we have long claimed to be.
For Attorney General Merrick Garland, that moment of truth has finally arrived. Garland has long maintained that he is an apolitical attorney general who does not even consider the political consequences of his actions. Over the last three years, some of us have questioned that commitment in a series of actions or, more importantly, non-actions. Yet, Garland has always been able to evade responsibility by shifting decision-making to others or claiming a lack of knowledge.
Yesterday, Garland ran out of room to maneuver when three House committees (Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means) sent him formal referrals for the perjury prosecution of Hunter Biden and his uncle, James Biden. The evidence of false answers to Congress is overwhelming and Garland’s department has prosecuted Trump associates and others with far less in past cases, including the prosecution of former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Here is the Committee’s summary of the allegations, which I also previously discussed in a column:
During his deposition, Hunter Biden made false statements about holding a position at Rosemont Seneca Bohai (RSB), a corporate entity that received millions of dollars from foreign individuals and entities who met with then-Vice President Biden before and after transmitting money to the RSB account that then transferred funds to Hunter Biden. After deposing Hunter Biden, the Committees obtained documents showing Hunter Biden represented that he was the corporate secretary of RSB.
Additionally, Hunter Biden during his testimony relayed an entirely fictitious account about threatening text messages he sent to his Chinese business partner while invoking his father’s presence with him as he wrote the messages. Hunter Biden testified he had transmitted this threat to an unrelated individual with the same surname. However, documents released by the Committee on Ways and Means demonstrate conclusively that Hunter Biden made this threat to the intended individual, and bank records prove Hunter Biden’s Chinese business partners wired millions of dollars to his company after his threat. A portion of the proceeds has been traced to Joe Biden’s bank account.
During James Biden’s transcribed interview, he stated that Joe Biden did not meet with Tony Bobulinski, a business associate of James and Hunter Biden, in 2017 while pursuing a deal with a Chinese entity, CEFC China Energy. His statements were contradicted not only by Mr. Bobulinski, but Hunter Biden. Mr. Bobulinski also produced text messages that establish the events leading up to and immediately following his meeting with Joe Biden on May 2, 2017.
These are straight-forward questions and answers. More importantly, both men knew and prepared for these questions. They were widely discussed before their testimony. They appear to have knowingly lied. The question is what Garland is now prepared to do about it.
For Garland, a bill has come due. I supported his appointment as Attorney General because I respected his integrity and intellect as a federal judge. I believed his claim that he would not allow political considerations to cloud his judgment. I grew more critical as I saw Garland struggling to avoid decisions that would work against President Biden or his family.
Now, Garland has what appears flagrant perjurious statements made by the President’s son and brother. Given the fact that these were anticipated questions, the false answers appear premeditated and egregious. Hunter and Jim Biden displayed a sense of impunity in denying facts that the committees (and many commentators) believe are well established on the available evidence. Those facts were highly embarrassing to the Biden family and they allegedly chose to lie rather than admit to them.
The fact that such alleged false statements occurred in the midst of an impeachment investigation only magnifies the concerns. This was an effort to establish the President’s knowledge of a massive corrupt influence peddling operation maintained by his family.
The gun charge in Delaware is a relatively minor criminal allegation. This is far more serious and could impose far greater punishment for the President’s son.
In the Trump cases, the Justice Department moved with impressive speed in going to grand juries against figures for false statements or contempt of Congress. There was little handwringing, no hem and hawing.
So Garland’s moment of truth has arrived. He will either have to meet it or shrink from it. Either way, the Attorney General is about to give the full measure of himself and his office.
Why just poke the Russian bear when it can be shot in the head once and for all?
Garland is disgraced worst AG political puppet of Biden Democrat party thankful he never made it to supreme Court he will do nothing to Biden s
Narrator (Morgan Freeman’s voice): But Merrick Garland would not pursue these charges, claiming they were nothing more than political grandstanding not warranting the resources of the Justice Deparment.
Has the United Nations, of which Russia is a member, already decided where the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine are? Should Russia go along with this decision?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Border_of_Ukraine
This is the Real Boarder NOW:
https://liveuamap.com/
The only thing that matters to the People that are living trough these times,
Does it matter to you if the U.N. recognizes the Fence between you and your neighbor? No
Does it matter to you if the U.N. recognizes the White Line between your car and the neighboring cars next to you in the parking lot? No
But you respect it – don’t you.
This doesn’t make any sense.
When we want to read totally off-topic h0r$3$h1t from Zelenskyy’s retarded half-brother, we will ask you for it. Please do hold your breath waiting….
I see what you’re saying now. The United Nations will not enforce international law, so the Ukrainians must
take matters into their own hands, kind of like how American states must handle the immigration problem
when the federal government will not.
To think that this hack almost made it to the Supreme Court. Mitch McConnell finally got it right. I guess this is political payback for not making it the highest court in the land.
Independent Bob said: “Mitch McConnell finally got it right.”
We are all familiar with the “stopped clock” metaphor, are we not?
…and Obama wanted to see Garland, that sack of moral and ethical turpitude, seated on the Supreme Court. Not hard to imagine who is actually holding the reins of power and dictating policy for the current administration. ‘Change is Coming’. Sociopolitical and economic conversions are not always revolutionary. They are often evolutionary and hidden in plain sight.
On this 80th anniversary of D-Day, I look at these veterans, how they honored their oaths and clearly that oath meant something completely different to them, than many we see in government service today. For the veteran, the penalty for dishonor could be death. For the political class, it quite often secures higher rewards. I doubt we’d even have to have these hearings, if the penalty for dishonor was as swift and severe as that of our brave men and women of the military.
Thank you OLLY for reminding us. FDR’s prayer was a powerful one, setting the national attitude that all Americans should adopt. Still applies today
President Franklin D. Roosevelt D-Day Prayer, June 6, 1944
📣 Ladies and gentlemen the president of the United States
FDR:
My fellow Americans, last night when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our allies were crossing the channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far and so in this poignant hour I ask you to join with me in prayer.
Almighty God our sons pride of our nation this day have set Upon A Mighty Endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic our religion and our civilization, and to set free a suffering Humanity. Lead them straight and true, give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need thy blessings. Their Road will be long and hard for the enemy is strong.
… help us almighty God to rededicate at ourselves in renewed faith in thee in this hour of great sacrifice….I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of
prayer as we rise to each new day and again when each day is spent let words of prayer be on our lips invoking thy help to our efforts give us strength to strengthen
our daily task
And oh Lord Lord give us Faith, give us faith in thee, faith in our sons, faith in each other, faith in our United Crusade. Let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled, let not the impacts of temporary events of temporal matters of but fleeting moment, let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose with thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the Apostles of greed and racial arrogance, lead us to the saving of our country and with our sister Nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men and a peace that will let all men live in Freedom reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done almighty God. Amen.
Amen!
OLLY,
Well said.
Seen it on more than a few occasions. Some government guy messes up badly and he gets promoted.
Yes sir.
“For the veteran, the penalty for dishonor could be death.”
Olly, your comment often echoes in my thoughts. The soldier selflessly fights and sacrifices his life, while the politician is often seen in the midst of parties and lies. Can this dichotomy be reversed? It was! Our founders, many of whom later became our leaders, courageously risked the noose of treason if they lost the war.
Yet, one of the founders who has always intrigued me is Jefferson, who, some argue, was a coward and labeled him a ‘leftist’ of his time. I find this perspective fascinating and thought-provoking.
Seth, I’m confident that many of the founders had flaws that match those in government service today. Even so, their legacy is pristine compared to those we find walking the halls of the institutions they created. I can probably count on one hand those today I would grudgingly select for a convention of states.
Olly, I am trying to remember the comment and the author who was talking about revolutions stating that the first generation was loyal to the principles first conceived, but by the third generation, they were looking more toward their own benefit.
You once supported Garland because of his “integrity and intellect as a federal judge.” Perhaps you didn’t know him very well. It’s hard to imagine a judge with integrity and high intellect turning on a dime to support a repressive agenda against Biden’s political opponents. For that matter, it’s hard to believe that Biden would have picked him in the first place if he wasn’t either corrupt or corruptible.
“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.”
― Thomas Paine, Common Sense
This is why it seems to many that the CCP is the normal, legitimate government of China, when it is not. Where are all of the ballots from history? It was never legitimate. Mao and his successors were never elected in free and fair elections.
Anonymous said: “This is why it seems to many that the CCP is the normal, legitimate government of China, when it is not.”
Well, Nixon took care of that for us, didn’t he?
“Where are all of the ballots from history?”
Money is often considered akin to ballots.
Why shouldn’t bullets be the same?
I don’t agree with the conclusion of my statement, but it makes me think about how we should treasure our ballots while thinking of the future lives that follow.
Garland is either completely incompetent in his position or he is the head legal conspirator running interference for a multi faceted criminal enterprise.
The Nation is fortunate he never got to the Supreme Court. At least the next election can get Garland fired.
Incarcerated
He will either sit on it, or pass it to someone else.
According to the good professor, Garland was a good federal judge, but he appears to be crap at management.
Looking at the Supreme Court Justices, you realize there could be an opening at any time. There is no way Garland can alienate the one who could appoint him. As always Turley nailed it.
I’m shocked you thought this man had integrity! It’s obvious for all to see he doesn’t. He’s come after so many innocent people through LAWFARE! He will not make anything right nor fare under the law. He does not have integrity.
Anonymous said: “There is no way Garland can alienate the one who could appoint him.”
If Biden gets back in, one of his first actions will be to pack the Court, so not only Garland, but Obama’s entire extended family, along with the Democratic National Committee, may get to fulfill their SCOTUS ambitions.
Here is a good video about Omaha Beach.
This probably drives the isolationists nuts.
Anonymous said: “This probably drives the isolationists nuts.”
Why should it? The US saved France, Germany, and the UK from Nazi domination. By way of gratitude, all three of those nations are currently doing their absolute best to drag the US into a shooting war with Russia that could turn out to be WWIII, and could easily involve the use of strategic nuclear weapons, over the border of an inconsequential Eurotrash country, to which Russia does have some (debatable) territorial claims, and which is of little or no actual value to the US. Isolationism has nearly always been in the clear interests of the American people, but counter to the interests of the connected, corporatist, internationalist, elite.
The Norks are isolationists, the wise approach to other countries is one of non-intervention
“So Garland’s moment of truth has arrived. He will either have to meet it or shrink from it. Either way, the Attorney General is about to give the full measure of himself and his office.“
The idea that this despicable hack of an AG will actually prosecute a Biden is, sadly, ludicrous. And The NY Times, MSNBC, and NPR, will find no need to comment.
We all know what choice Garland will make. No doubt whatsoever.
Professor, you are to be admired for admitting that: ” I supported his appointment as Attorney General because I respected his integrity and intellect as a federal judge. I believed his claim that he could not allow political considerations to cloud his judgment. ” You are not to be admired for being this naive and, let’s admit it, stupid.
I’m sure Trump’s trials will be brought up in the debate later this month. They should be. I wonder if the CNN moderator will bring up these moments. I wonder if Biden’s clear lie about Hunter’s laptop in the 2020 debate will be brought up.
All the establishment need do is call up a DC grand jury that won’t indict Hunter or Jim. Then President Adderall can cite the incredible honesty of his DOJ
The most enduring and posturing words came from Garland himself at the Congressional hearings.
A. “I will not be intimidated.”
B. “The DOJ will not be intimidated.”
For Garland, intimidation is the principle involved, not politics.
gdonaldallen said: “The most enduring and posturing words came from Garland himself at the Congressional hearings.”
Those statements may actually be true. I do not think we are seeing intimidation, I think we are seeing political convictions at work. The lie is the oath that the ba$t@rd took.
Garland will likely do nothing. At most he will appoint yet another special prosecutor. If Trump wins, Biden will pardon them both before leaving office.
When will Comer conclude his impeachment investigation and report on its results? It looks like nothing will come of this either.
If Trump produces irrefutable evidence of a stolen election then Biden’s Presidency would be determined a fraud. He could be impeached and prosecuted negating his ability to pardon anyone. Trump would have to finally put forth the evidence of the steal, they have it, we all know it was stolen.
People shouldn’t have freedom of conscience if they victimize me with their stupidity.