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Merrick Garland says he'll 'prosecute white supremacists' for Capitol riot, Internet says 'he's gonna be busy'

Garland garnered praise from both the Republican and Democrat camps in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday

Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden's attorney general nominee, made a bold statement stating he would separate the politics out of the Justice Department and prosecute the "heinous" crimes committed in the US Capitol attack on January 6. Garland led the Justice Department investigation in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and according to CNN, said the current forms of threat are a "more dangerous period than we faced at that time."

"If confirmed, I will supervise the prosecution of White supremacists and others who stormed the Capitol on January 6 — a heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy: the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government," Garland said on Monday, February 22.

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Netizens had their two cents to share following Garland's statement. "he's gonna go after cruz, hawley and the rest of the gQp who CONTINUE to spread the lie ?? Wow.. He's gonna be busy.." read one of the tweets. "Merrick Garland is undoubtedly the best person for this job. I look forward to seeing his developments and his work as the new AG," read another. "Bless his heart! He’s walking into Trumps sewer. It will be a while before he can get rid of all the rats left behind by the last administration," one of the tweets read.

"It was a Good Hearing! Just #ConfirmMerrickGarland !! It's the right thing to do. Not for nothing...He would've made a FANTASTIC #SCOTUS If it's meant to be, it'll be. I hope," one of the tweets said.

The naysayers weren't far behind. "Seems like he does not know what crimes actually are, based on his responses to questions today. Does not bode well for the average American citizen," one of the comments read. This was seconded by another who wrote: "It was a bad day for Garland, his lack of knowledge on the issues and questions was glaring."

"It seems as an attorney general nominee, his job is to prosecute crimes committed during the US Capitol riot. Nothing else? Main media?" asked one of the people.

"That's fantastic! Now let's see if their cult leader will be held accountable by law. Let's see if really no one is above the law," opined one of the readers.

Garland garnered praise from both the Republican and Democrat camps in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. According to the CNN report, he also said he would redouble the Justice Department's efforts to fight discrimination in law enforcement. 

In 2016, the then-President Barack Obama nominated Garland to the Supreme Court, after the death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative stalwart. But Garland never received a hearing and eventually, the nomination was blocked by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky insisting that the next elected president should fill the vacancy.