the when i came to congress -- to search the when i came to congress i -- to serve. when i came to congress i've continued to put my constituents first. i'll wor with anyone anywhere for solutions like thent that provide our law enforcement with the resources they need to keep our communities safe. thank you, mr. speaker, i yield the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman yields back. pursuant to clause 12-a of rule 1, the chair declares the house >> today the house judiciary committee's considering a resolution to hold attorney general merrick garland in contempt of congress. the attorney general spoke earlier this morning. here are his remarks.

attorney general gland: i'll going.few questions before we reporter: in your professional cistedo the president to invoke executive privilege. he invoked executive privilege. it protects you both personally. is that a conflict of interest? atey general garland: the justice department is a fundamental institution of our democracy. people depend on us to ensure that our investigations and our prosecutions are conducted according to e e law and without political we have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the committees get responses to their legitimate requests, but this is not one. to the contrary, this is one that would harm our ability in the future to successfully

pursue sensitive investigations. now, there have been a series unprecedented and frankly unfoundedthe justice department. this req, to use contempt as a method of obtaining our sensitive law enforcement files is just the most recent. the effort to threaten, to defund our investigations, and the way in which our contributions to an atmosphere that puts our agents and prosecutors at risk, are wrong. the only thing i can do is continue to do the right i will protect this building and its reporter: you answet now. i was wondering what this combined with the efforts to jack smith and other attacks on biden administration officials say about the broader effort to discredit you and to

discredit the justice department and also how would you manage that? how are you resisting that? what can do about that as attorney general? attorney general garland: we have to go about our work following the federal principles of prosecution. we follow the facts and law. we screen out outsi inappropriate influences. that's what we are doing here. we are proteg continue to do high profile and sensitive investigations. we do that. reporter: mrat general, it now seems vanishingly small that the two jack smith federal cases are going to begin trial let aloneinh trial this year. what does that say about the pace ofhe justice system and confidence in this justice department? toer garland: the special counsel brought both cases last year. he appropriate r speedy trials.