Hunter Biden Blames Merrick Garland for Biden DOJ Failure After Trump Cases
Hunter Biden publicly criticized Merrick Garland’s leadership of the Justice Department, calling it the “single greatest mistake” of his father’s administration during an appearance on the I’ve Had It podcast.
The remark came as host Jennifer Welch pressed Biden about Garland, Donald Trump, January 6, and Hunter Biden’s own prosecution. Biden said his father chose Garland and respected the post Nixon norm that presidents should not direct DOJ decisions, but argued Garland’s department failed to respond forcefully enough after the Capitol attack.
That makes the story more than a family member criticizing a former Cabinet official. It puts Hunter Biden inside a larger Democratic dispute over whether Garland’s restraint protected DOJ independence or allowed the Trump cases to move too slowly.
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Garland’s defenders have long argued that the Justice Department had to operate outside White House political pressure. Earlier reporting described Garland as being criticized by both Republicans and Democrats while insisting the department was keeping politics out of law enforcement.
The consequence is political and institutional. Jack Smith’s federal cases against Trump did not reach trial before Trump won the 2024 election. Reuters reported that both federal cases were later dropped, with Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president central to that result.
Fox News amplified the quote on X and Facebook, while Tennessee Holler posted the same Garland criticism for a liberal audience.
The next question is whether Garland or Biden allies respond directly.
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