President Joe Biden’s nominees for the Justice Department could have a hard time making it through the Senate.
On Tuesday, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) tweeted a video message in which he threatened to hold up Justice Department nominees.
“I’ve heard from a lot of people that they’re so frustrated, as I am, with the fact that [Attorney General Merrick Garland] has used the Department of Justice for politics instead of law. And I think it’s time we stop just whining about this problem and debating this problem and actually do something about it,” he said.
Vance continued:
“I’ve announced today that I will be holding all Department of Justice nominees that Merrick Garland will use if confirmed not to enforce the law impartially, which is his duty, but clearly to harass his political opponents. I think that we have to grind this department to a halt until Merrick Garland promises to do his job and stop going after his political opponents.”
Watch the video below:
Until Merrick Garland stops using his agency to harass Joe Biden’s political opponents, I will hold all DoJ nominees. pic.twitter.com/UVRwi6Ue01
— JD Vance (@JDVance1) June 13, 2023
Vance argued former President Donald Trump’s indictment for his handling of classified documents is “the most recent example of the fact that Merrick Garland uses his department for political purposes.”
He also claimed pro-life activists have been “harassed” for their advocacy.
His video comes the same day Trump was arraigned in a Miami courthouse.
Trump is facing 37 charges in the case, including 31 counts of willful retention of national defense information, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, one count of corruptly concealing a document or record, one count of concealing a document in a federal investigation, and one count related to making false statements.
The indictment states, “The classified documents Trump stored in his boxes included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries; United States nuclear programs; potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack; and plans for possible retaliation in response to a foreign attack.”
“The unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources and the continued viability of sensitive intelligence collection methods,” it added.
On Tuesday, the former president claimed on Truth Social that classified documents had been planted by the special counsel overseeing his investigation.
He has also insisted he is an “innocent man.”
Trump entered a plea of not guilty for all the charges against him during his court appearance.