Merrick Garland
Merrick Garland, Joe Biden's pick to be attorney general, often has claimed to be apolitical in his work, even though the results of the Department of Justice so far have shown a distinct pattern of attacking President Donald Trump. In fact, Trump has accused the bureaucrats of being "weaponized" against him.
But now, a legal expert warns, Garland is facing a real test.
It is prominent legal commentator Jonathan Turley, who not only has testified to Congress as a constitutional expert but represented members, who issued the warning.
He noted critics have challenged Garland's claim to be neutral multiple times already.
The new test comes in the form of a public report from Congress citing three different instances where Hunter Biden allegedly committed perjury.
Turley explained he had expected Hunter Biden to take the Fifth Amendment to avoid making statements when testifying before Congress. He didn't.
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Turley said one of Hunter Biden's claims stemmed from a WhatsApp message in which he threatened a Chinese businessman to coerce him to send lots of money.
That message included: "I am sitting here with my father and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. Tell the director that I would like to resolve this now before it gets out of hand, and now means tonight. And, Z, if I get a call or text from anyone involved in this other than you, Zhang, or the chairman, I will make certain that between the man sitting next to me and every person he knows and my ability to forever hold a grudge that you will regret not following my direction. I am sitting here waiting for the call with my father."
Under oath, Hunter Biden claimed his father wasn't sitting next to him, and the "Zhao" to which the message was addressed was not the Zhao connected to a particular Chinese company.
But the congressional investigation shows Biden's WhatsApp account shows only Raymond Zhao, of that Chinese company.
"Another alleged lie was Hunter’s denial that he ever helped people associated with Burisma secure visas. He told Congress that he was unwilling to provide 'any work as it related to visas that they needed' and that he would 'never pick up the phone and call anybody for a visa.'"
But Congress has an email in which Hunter's associate, Devon Archer, writes, "Hunter is checking with Miguel Aleman to see if he can provide cover to Kola on the visa…Please send Hunter an email with all Kola’s passport and visa documents and evidence and copy me. We’ll take it from there."
Kola referenced a Burisma executive.
Third, Turley said, "Hunter also swore that he had no part in shell companies that received foreign payments. Yet, Archer testified that he and Hunter had an equal stake in Rosemont Seneca Bohai and the committee has evidence from the IRS whistleblowers showing that Hunter received benefits as owner of the entity’s associated bank account."
There's even a document in which Hunter Biden confirms he is an officer for Rosemont Seneca.
Now Garland has fast-tracked cases against Trump officials and is facing the question whether he will send Hunter's statements to a grand jury.
Turley said his options are treating this as he did allegations against President Trump, "or scuttling alleged perjury made by the son of the president before Congress."
Hunter Biden already is facing trials on gun and tax charges. This case could present a third courtroom scenario for him.
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