GOP’s Biden-Manhattan conspiracy theory suffers a double blow

Attorney General Merrick Garland appears to be losing patience with the many thinly constructed Republican conspiracy theories about the supposed “weaponization” of the justice system against the GOP. Garland two weeks ago delivered what was by his standards a quick and strong rebuke of a ridiculous Donald Trump-pushed theory that the FBI had targeted Trump for assassination.
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Garland continued in that vein during testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, while taking on a second pervasive Trump-related conspiracy theory.

The scene — combined with recent comments from a former Trump lawyer — helped reinforce just how half-baked the theory is.

Garland made clear in his opening statement what he was there for, ticking off a series of conspiracy theories he pitched as not just false but, like the assassination theory, dangerous to the civil servants he leads. Among them: the idea that President Biden’s Justice Department was involved in the successful Manhattan criminal prosecution of Trump. (Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts last week.) Trump has long blamed Biden for this prosecution, without any evidence.

While listing the theories, Garland cited “false claims that a jury verdict in a state trial brought by a local district attorney was somehow controlled by the Justice Department.”

“I will not be intimidated, and the Justice Department will not be intimidated,” Garland said.

The theory centers on Matthew Colangelo, who before joining the Manhattan district attorney’s office was a top official at the Justice Department. Republicans have long suggested that this is too much of a coincidence. But it ignores the fact that Colangelo had previously worked alongside Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) in the New York attorney general’s office, and he had lots of experience working on Trump-related matters. In other words: He made plenty of sense for such a post.

Republicans got right to it, with Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) giving Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) first crack at Garland. Gaetz posited that Garland “had no problem dispatching Matthew Colangelo” to Manhattan.

There is no actual reason to believe Garland did this, and he firmly denied it — under oath.

“That is false. I did not dispatch Matthew Colangelo,” Garland said, repeating: “That is false.”

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