During a recent meeting of the House Rules Committee, Republican Ralph Norman from South Carolina took issue with Democratic Congressman Jerrold J. Nadler of New York over comments Nadler made regarding former president Donald Trump‘s criminal conviction.
Following a recent trial in Manhattan, Trump was found guilty on 34 charges related to falsifying business records in a case involving hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Despite the verdict, Trump maintains his innocence, alleging a political bias and calling the trial rigged.
The Committee session intended to address rules for a resolution considering Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt for not providing audio recordings of President Joe Biden discussing classified documents with Special Counsel Robert Hur.
Nadler, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, supported Garland and briefly referenced Trump’s conviction, suggesting it might boost Trump’s morale before sentencing. Norman, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, subsequently challenged this statement about Trump’s guilt.
“After listening to the smoke screens from the other side,” Norman began, “mentioning Trump’s supposed conviction, I had to respond. Really? Really?”
Nadler interjected with “by a jury,” to which Norman insisted on speaking further without interruption, expressing frustration at being talked over.
During the discussion, Hur presented findings on the classified documents in question and declined to pursue charges against the President. House Republicans demanded the audiotapes for their inquiry, despite receiving a transcript of the conversation.
Garland remains firm in his decision not to release the tapes, asserting, “I won’t be intimidated.” He emphasized the DOJ’s commitment to upholding democracy without yielding to political pressure, addressing the Judiciary Committee.