U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) is pushing again after President Donald Trump’s interim U.S. Lawyer for D.C., Ed Martin, disclosed his workplace’s inquiry into whether or not the congressman’s remarks about Elon Musk earlier this month constituted a menace in opposition to a public official.
“That is utterly ridiculous, to primarily threaten me with potential prosecution [and] investigations by means of the U.S. Division of Justice as a result of I used a metaphor to criticize Elon Musk,” Garcia informed The Bulwark’s Tim Miller throughout an interview on Thursday.
At concern is a Feb. 12 look on CNN throughout which, as Martin mentioned in a letter to the congressman’s workplace on Monday, “When requested how Democrats can cease Elon Musk, you spoke clearly: ‘What the American public needs is for us to deliver precise weapons to this bar combat. That is an precise combat for democracy.’”
He continued, “This sounds to some like a menace to Mr. Musk – an appointed consultant of President Donald Trump who you name a ‘dick’ – and authorities employees who work for him. Their considerations have led to this inquiry.”
Garcia’s feedback got here simply after he participated within the first Home subcommittee listening to on Musk’s DOGE, the Division of Authorities Effectivity, which was established by an government order issued on the primary day Trump took workplace.
In a press release to the Washington Blade, Home Democratic Chief Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) mentioned “Rep. Robert Garcia is a considerate, hardworking and regulation abiding legislator who serves his constituents and the nation with distinction. Home Democrats won’t be intimidated by far proper extremists who’re decided to weaponize the legal justice system in opposition to Congress.”
Garcia serves on the highly effective Home Oversight Committee in addition to within the Congressional Equality Caucus, as one among its 11 LGBTQ co-chairs. In November, he was elected the Democratic Caucus Management Consultant.
“I’ve talked to numerous people, members of the Home and others, who’ve been very supportive.” he mentioned on Thursday. “I mentioned, ‘Look, we are able to’t permit this singling out of me. It’s probably not about me, proper? That is about silencing critics and critics in Congress.’”
Later within the interview, he added “we’re speaking to the suitable people, and naturally, speaking to people within the Democratic management” who perceive the broader stakes by way of “our job” as Home Democrats to “be the loyal opposition.”
U.S. Rep. Gerald Connolly (Va.), the Oversight Committee’s high Democrat, additionally issued a press release condemning Martin’s letter on Wednesday:
“This can be a shameful try to silence and stifle congressional oversight. Mr. Martin – an organizer, financier, and authorized consultant for the January sixth rebellion – is weaponizing the Justice Division to hold out the President’s retribution tour.
“This ‘Operation Whirlwind’ is a smokescreen meant to distract from the true intentions of the Trump Administration: silencing criticism and snuffing out any try to train oversight of their misdeeds and perversion of the regulation. I can guarantee you that Congressman Garcia and our fellow Oversight Democrats won’t be deterred by these threats, and we are going to proceed to combat to safeguard our democracy and shield the rights of the American individuals we serve.”
Martin on Wednesday introduced “Operation Whirlwind,” a brand new initiative to prosecute threats in opposition to public officers in any respect ranges of presidency, which some critics and authorized consultants consider is primarily supposed as a way of silencing criticism.
Along with Garcia, Martin has despatched letters to the Senate’s Democratic Chief Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) on Jan. 21, Feb. 3, and Feb. 11, indicating plans to evaluate remarks he made in 2020 to see in the event that they constituted illegal threats in opposition to two of Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court docket nominees, Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch.
“I wish to let you know, Gorsuch,” Schumer mentioned, “I wish to let you know, Kavanaugh — you will have launched the whirlwind and you’ll pay the value. You received’t know what hit you in the event you go ahead with these terrible choices.”
The highest Senate Democrat was talking throughout a rally in regards to the conservative jurists’ potential revocation of decades-old constitutional protections for abortion, which they finally did in 2022 with their 5-4 determination in Dobbs v. Jackson Girls’s Well being Group.
As detailed by aide to the senator in his response to Martin, “on March 5, 2020, the day after the feedback referenced in your letter, Senator Schumer made the next remarks” from the Senate flooring:
“Now, I mustn’t have used the phrases I used yesterday. They didn’t come out the way in which I supposed to. My level was that there could be political penalties–political penalties–for President Trump and Senate Republicans if the Supreme Court docket, with the newly confirmed Justices, stripped away a girl’s proper to decide on.
“In fact, I didn’t intend to recommend something apart from political and public opinion penalties for the Supreme Court docket, and it’s a gross distortion to suggest in any other case. I’m from Brooklyn. We converse in sturdy language.
“I shouldn’t have used the phrases I did, however by no means was I making a menace. I by no means—by no means— would do such a factor. Chief McConnell is aware of that, and Republicans who’re busy manufacturing outrage over these feedback know that too.”
The aide concluded, “As Senator Schumer’s assertion on the Senate flooring confirmed, the feedback weren’t a menace to bodily hurt any particular person. I hope that this clarifying info is useful.”
Shortly after Trump’s appointment of Martin, the conservative lawyer and activist dismissed pending circumstances in opposition to rioters who sacked the Capitol constructing on Jan. 6 2021, fired the prosecutors who had been concerned, and commenced investigations into those that introduced obstruction fees that had been finally invalidated by a U.S. Supreme Court docket determination in June.
Barbara McQuade, a former federal prosecutor who teaches regulation on the College of Michigan and serves as a authorized analyst for NBC Information and MSNBC, informed the Washington Put up she had “by no means seen something like these letters from a U.S. legal professional,” who would sometimes assign brokers to guide such a probe whereas abiding the Justice Division’s coverage of not confirming or denying the existence of any investigation.
“It looks as if a good inference that these letters are designed extra to sit back free speech than to hunt clarification, as they purport to do,” McQuade added.
Garcia agreed, telling Miller on Thursday that the hassle “may have a chilling impact on folks that truly wish to come out and criticize and oppose” Trump, Musk, the administration, or their allies.
Trying forward, Martin has “given me, by the way in which, until Tuesday to reply to this letter,” Garcia famous. When requested about what he deliberate to do, the congressman mentioned “we’re having some conversations about that” however “what we’re not going to do is is keep silent.”
“The lesson right here is to not retreat,” he mentioned. “The lesson right here is to push more durable and proceed to let individuals know they’re actually attempting to restrict free speech.”
Discussing his remarks about Musk throughout an look on CNN Thursday, Garcia mentioned “what’s actually crucial at this second, I feel, for all of us to know, is that we ought to be allowed to talk freely, and we actually ought to be allowed to make use of figures of speech, and anybody that watches that may see that as a determine of speech or a metaphor in the way in which we’re describing this combat.”
The congressman added, “And it’s a combat. This can be a combat for democracy.”
Trump’s Division of Justice is focusing on me for criticizing Elon Musk. Members of Congress have a proper to talk freely and oppose the Administration – particularly as they attempt to destroy our businesses and federal establishments. We received’t again down. pic.twitter.com/y3ykpOxzyE
— Congressman Robert Garcia (@RepRobertGarcia) February 20, 2025
