Soviet-born Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) laid into Attorney General Merrick Garland during a Wednesday hearing on Capitol Hill, saying American citizens were living in fear that their own Justice Department might target them for prosecution.
Spartz — who was born in Ukraine while it was still under Soviet control — referenced her upbringing and pressed Garland on what she believed was his role in creating a similar political climate in the United States.
“As someone who grew up in the Soviet Union, I’m disturbed by the fact that so many hardworking Americans—including my constituents—are afraid of political persecution by our own government,” Spartz captioned her video of the exchange on X. “Unfortunately, it does not seem like AG Garland is.”
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As someone who grew up in the Soviet Union, I’m disturbed by the fact that so many hardworking Americans—including my constituents—are afraid of political persecution by our own government.
Unfortunately, it does not seem like AG Garland is.
Watch @JudiciaryGOP 👇 pic.twitter.com/L0QprNW6uK
— Rep. Victoria Spartz (@RepSpartz) September 20, 2023
Spartz began by acknowledging Garland’s personal history – his family fleeing to the United States from Belarus for a life free of persecution – and then pivoted to her own.
“I grew up in a very similar country, Ukraine now,” Spartz said. “And when I came here as a young person, I believed in the value as an American not to be afraid of my government.”
“But I wanted to tell you and I wanted to share with you and get your thoughts on that,” she continued. “Are you aware that a lot of Americans are now afraid of being prosecuted by your department? Are you aware about that? Are you aware of that? I’m just saying are you aware or not?”
Garland paused, cleared his throat, and then immediately placed the blame on anyone who questioned or criticized the Justice Department. He said, “I think that constant attacks on the Department and saying —”
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“It’s not attacks,” Spartz pushed back. “Let me give you an example, you talk about January 6th people, some people came on January 6th … there were some people that came on January 6th here, you know, that had bad intent. But a lot of good Americans from my district came here because they are sick and tired of this government not serving them. They came with strollers and the kids, and there was a chaotic situation because the proper security wasn’t provided.”
Spartz went on to say that the FBI had then hunted down people who had simply been there with their kids, prompting fears that they were going to be the ones on the hook.
“You are in charge of the department,” Spartz addressed Garland directly, noting that investigations into former President Donald Trump had moved very quickly while investigations into President Joe Biden’s family and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had moved very slowly.
“All of your agents need to be tested for amnesia, no one recalls anything,” she said, comparing the U.S. Justice Department to the Soviet KGB. “I couldn’t believe it happened in the United States of America.”