Garland Pressed to Charge Bannon, Ease Up on Conservatives (1)

Attorney General Merrick Garland received a vivid reminder of the nation’s partisan divide Thursday, as Democrats pressed him to pursue criminal contempt charges against former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon while Republicans accused him of treating conservative parents as domestic terrorists.

Garland made his first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee hours before the House is scheduled to vote on compelling Bannon to testify before the select committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by supporters of former President Trump.

Merrick Garland speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 21.

Photographer: Greg Nash/The Hill/Bloomberg

If passed as expected, the contempt citation would be referred to the U.S. attorney for the District ...