Mitchell Blasts ‘Outrageous’ McCarthy Plan To Investigate ‘Most Careful’ Garland

On her Tuesday show on MSNBC, Andrea Mitchell blasted House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s “outrageous” pledge to investigate Attorney General Merrick Garland if the GOP were to regain the House in November in the aftermath of the FBI’s raid on former President Trump’s home.

After declaring that all the cries for the FBI and Justice Department to explain themselves are wrong because commenting on an on-going investigation would be improper, Mitchell focused on critics of the raid, “And yet, you have an unrestrained, you know, litany of comments from Trump World and as we’ll get to later with Ben Collins and others, you know, online, you know, threatening comments.”

One can criticize the FBI without approving the actions of some of the most dangerous parts of the internet, given its recent past. Yet, Mitchell tied that to the ordinary pledge of one party promising to investigate the other if they take control of Congress, “Kevin McCarthy, with really, you have to say an outrageous attack on Merrick Garland. You know, you know, brace yourself when we take over, you know, clear your calendar, we’re going to investigate you.”

Going all in for the Democrats, Mitchell claimed “Merrick Garland is the most careful, judicious to a fault some would say, you know, attorney general in this case.”

Even though he wouldn’t go as far as declaring Trump and his supporters wrong, Justice correspondent Ken Dilianian will mention Trump-Russia as an example of why some might not be willing to give FBI the benefit the doubt.

However, nobody mentioned Garland’s history of using the DOJ against opponents, such as when he sues red states for passing election laws he doesn’t like under the guise of fighting voter suppression.

This segment was sponsored and produced by 4imprint.

This transcript is for the show on August 9, 2009.

MSNBC Andrea Mitchell Reports

8/9/2022

12:10 ET

ANDREA MITCHELL: And—and– very glad you made those points, Kerry, because Ken Dilanian, the Justice Department is, kind of, got its hands tied. They are not supposed to comment on anybody in an investigation until and if there were an indictment and that was the violation that Jim Comey committed as FBI director in the case of Hillary Clinton to a great deal of criticism both internally from Justice, from main Justice and externally, of course, from the political world and the Democratic sphere. 

So, they can’t really comment as much as commentators and pundits may want a comment from them. It’s not appropriate for them to comment in any fashion. And yet, you have an unrestrained, you know, litany of comments from Trump World and as we’ll get to later with Ben Collins and others, you know, online, you know, threatening comments, in fact and Kevin McCarthy, with really, you have to say an outrageous attack on Merrick Garland. You know, you know, brace yourself when we take over, you know, clear your calendar, we’re going to investigate you. 

Merrick Garland is the most careful, judicious to a fault some would say, you know, attorney general in this case.