Speaking at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Nov. 15, Sen. Adam Schiff argued it was “absurd” to claim the Biden-era Justice Department was weaponized, pointing to then–Attorney General Merrick Garland’s reputation as a nonpartisan actor.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) pushed back on Republican allegations that the Department of Justice was "weaponized" during former President Joe Biden’s term. In a conversation with journalist Terry Moran, Schiff said GOP denunciations at House Judiciary Committee hearings showed "righteous indignation" and called claims of DOJ "weaponization" under Merrick Garland "absurd," arguing Garland was not known as a partisan. A video of the session was posted by the Texas Tribune.
Clips of Schiff’s remarks circulated on social media over the weekend, including a post highlighting his argument that Garland’s nonpartisan reputation undercut accusations of political bias at DOJ. The Texas Tribune’s event page hosts the full interview video for context.
Schiff also urged a less zero‑sum approach to governing, saying lawmakers should "get past the ruinous idea" of trying to make a president or party unsuccessful for political gain — comments that likewise came during the same onstage interview and were captured in the festival video.
Republicans have for years accused DOJ of political bias, a theme they pressed in oversight hearings with Garland during 2023–2024. Garland, for his part, publicly rejected those claims and said he would not allow the department to be used as a political weapon.
Critics of Schiff countered by invoking his leading role in investigations of former President Donald Trump. Schiff has long maintained there was “evidence” of collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia; however, Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report stated the investigation “did not establish” that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government on election interference — a conclusion Schiff has acknowledged while arguing problematic contacts still occurred.
Schiff served as lead House impeachment manager in 2019 during Trump’s first impeachment. In contemporaneous testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley criticized Democrats’ approach as too fast and narrow and cautioned against treating recourse to the courts as obstruction — arguments that drew significant attention at the time.
Schiff won California’s U.S. Senate seat in 2024 and was sworn in Jan. 3, 2025. His Texas Tribune Festival appearance came amid continuing partisan debates over DOJ independence that have persisted across administrations.
