| Attorney General Merrick Garland excoriated House Republicans in the opening statement of a hearing expected to get highly contentious on Tuesday, accusing them of blatantly politicizing the Justice Department's work. "Certain members of this Committee and the Oversight Committee are seeking contempt as a means of obtaining — for no legitimate purpose — sensitive law enforcement information that could harm the integrity of future investigations," Garland said. "This effort is only the most recent in a long line of attacks on the Justice Department's work," Garland added, also pointing to a "conspiracy theory" that the Justice Department "somehow controlled" Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's prosecution of former President Donald Trump. Read the latest | 
