WASHINGTON — Texas’ two senators joined with other Republicans on the powerful Senate Committee on the Judiciary Wednesday in grilling U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland about the federal law enforcement response to some of the most divisive legal and criminal justice issues in the country today.

What You Need To Know

  • The Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing was Garland’s first appearance on Capitol Hill this year

  • Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and many Republicans on the panel used their questions to push their claims the Justice Department has become politicized against Republicans and conservatives

  • Cruz complained that no charges were filed against protesters outside of Supreme Court justices' homes last year and said Garland's not doing enough for the fentanyl crisis

  • Garland counteracted those claims, saying  70 federal marshals were called on to protect the justices, and the DEA has taken urgency in stopping the fentanyl problem 

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, tore into Garland during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, complaining the Justice Department did not file charges against demonstrators who repeatedly protested outside the homes of Supreme Court justices last year.

“You’re perfectly content with justices being afraid for their children’s lives, and you did nothing to prosecute it,” Cruz said.

Garland said he acted quickly and responsibly by deploying 70 federal marshals to the justices’ homes after a leaked draft opinion signaled the court was about to end the constitutional right to an abortion. 

“I did something no attorney general in the history of the department had ever done before,” Garland said. “For the first time in history, I ordered the United States Marshals 24/7 to defend every residence of every justice.”

But Garland said as far as he knew no charges were brought under a law prohibiting picketing outside of a federal judge’s home, but insisted the marshals on the scene make the determination to arrest demonstrators.

“The job of the United States Marshals is to defend the lives of the justices. That’s their number one priority,” Garland said.

Cruz cut Garland off, saying, “Why are you unwilling to say ‘no?’ You know it’s 'no,' I know it’s 'no,' everyone in this hearing room knows it’s 'no.'” 

The Judiciary Committee hearing was Garland’s first appearance on Capitol Hill this year. Cruz and many Republicans on the panel used their questions to push their claims the Justice Department has become politicized against Republicans and conservatives and that it has done little to stop the fentanyl crisis.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, cited a recent meeting he had with school leaders and families in Hays County about fentanyl. After he expressed concerns about sentencing related to drug trafficking convictions, Cornyn questioned federal law enforcement’s response to the opioid crisis.

“I have been just astonished at the lack of a sense of urgency to deal with this issue,” Cornyn said.

“Seventy-one thousand roughly of fentanyl overdoses… Do you consider your current policies successful?” he asked.  

“We have a huge epidemic of fentanyl problem created by intentional acts by the cartels. We are doing everything we can within our resources to fight that,” Garland said. “We have our DEA working to prevent transfer of precursors into Mexico to capture the labs to extradite the cartel leaders to arrest them in the United States. We are focusing on fentanyl with enormous urgency.”

Garland added he has traveled twice to Mexico in an attempt to get greater cooperation from Mexican authorities on the issue.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, the chairman of the committee, earlier commended Cornyn for working to broker a deal over the bipartisan gun safety law and asked Garland the effects so far of the law. Garland said as a result of the law there are already prosecutions related to the trafficking of illegal weapons, as well as grants given out for violence intervention programs. The law passed in the wake of the Uvalde mass shooting.