'What In The Heck Are They Hiding?': Michael Burgess Slams Merrick Garland Ahead Of Contempt Vote

6 months ago

During debate on the House floor, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) urged support for holding AG Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress.

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Transcript

00:00The gentleman is recognized.

00:01I thank my friend for yielding, and I certainly want to congratulate the gentleman from Georgia

00:06on leading his first rule as a member of the Rules Committee.

00:11While he's the newest member of the Rules Committee, he is a seasoned veteran when it

00:15comes to the work of the Armed Services Committee, and there is no one better to lead on our

00:20side for the NDAA reauthorization rule than the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Scott.

00:25I do want to speak in support of the rule, the underlying measures.

00:29This was a major piece of work that came through the House Armed Services Committee,

00:34came through with input of members on both sides of the dais, and was truly a significant

00:40product in that it passed nearly unanimously in the House Armed Services Committee.

00:46Every day, thousands of men and women don the uniform, sacrificing time, risking their

00:50lives, inconveniencing their families to defend us and our nation.

00:55The debt of gratitude we owe them and their families can never be repaid.

01:00Advancing this legislation is the least we can do to support them and give back to them.

01:05Simultaneously, this legislation continues to counteract threats from the Chinese Communist

01:09Party and our other adversaries by ensuring our weapons, our equipment, and our cyber

01:15capabilities are indeed unmatched.

01:18Through the development of indispensable weapons technology and through increasing the lethality

01:22of our warfighters, the NDAA intercepts the Biden administration's soft international

01:28strategy and puts international security at greater risk.

01:33It is imperative for the House of Representatives to support this bill as it maintains our commitment

01:38to our service members and their families.

01:40And just acknowledging that the contempt resolutions are indeed included in this rule, I sat through

01:47the lengthy debate in the Rules Committee yesterday, hearing from the ranking members

01:51of the Judiciary and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

01:56The arguments sometimes became almost Shakespearean in their efforts.

02:01You know, the old line, I think the lady does protest too much.

02:06When that degree of protestation occurs, you have to ask yourself, what in the heck are

02:11they hiding?

02:12And it's almost as if the American public needs to see this information and make their

02:19own decision.

02:20The American public, unfortunately, has lost a lot of confidence in the federal government

02:25and its agencies because of that very lack of transparency.

02:30And it's not just on this issue, but it's on a number of issues.

02:34So I think it is incumbent upon us to make the information available to the American

02:39people, trust them to use their good judgment, and make the right call on that.

02:45Look, Republican members will always support our national defense and their personnel with

02:50the tools they need to do their jobs, to do them well, and to come home and come home

02:56to a secure nation.

02:57I urge members to support the rule, support the men and women in uniform, and I yield

03:02back the balance of my time.

'What In The Heck Are They Hiding?': Michael Burgess Slams Merrick Garland Ahead Of Contempt Vote

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