Merrick Garland Says, ‘I’ll Do My Best’ as Attorney General

“This is, of course, Judge Garland’s first time appearing before this committee since ascending to the federal bench. I had something to do with that. After the death of Justice Scalia, my Republican colleagues and I decided not to hold a hearing on his nomination — in other words, meaning Judge Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court, having been nominated by President Obama. I admire judge Garland’s public service. Just because I disagreed with anyone being nominated, didn’t mean that it had to be disagreeable to that nominee.” “If you could just conclude by answering the question about your motivation and maybe some of your own family history, in confronting hate and discrimination in American history.” “Yes, Senator. So, you know, I come from a family … … where my grandparents fled anti-Semitism and persecution. The country took us in, and protected us. And I feel an obligation to the country to pay back. And this is the highest, best use of my own set of skills to pay back. And so I want very much to be the kind of attorney general that you’re saying I could become. I’ll do my best to try to be that kind of Attorney General.”