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Biden Is Set To Introduce Merrick Garland As His Attorney General Pick

Merrick Garland (center), who's seen here in 2018, is President-elect Joe Biden's pick to be U.S. attorney general.
Merrick Garland (center), who's seen here in 2018, is President-elect Joe Biden's pick to be U.S. attorney general.

President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday introduces his choice for U.S. attorney general, Merrick Garland, during an event in Wilmington, Del.

Garland is currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington. But he is likely best known as a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court who was refused even a hearing by Senate Republicans after President Barack Obama nominated him to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016.

The event is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET.You can watch it live here:

Garland also previously served in the Justice Department, leading investigations into the "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski and into the Oklahoma City bombing.

Biden will also nominate Lisa Monaco to the Justice Department's second-highest post, deputy attorney general. Monaco is another Justice Department veteran, and the first woman assistant attorney general for national security. Monaco also served as White House homeland security and counterterrorism adviser under Obama.

Biden also named Vanita Gupta as associate attorney general. She now heads the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and was previously assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division at the Justice Department.

The president-elect is nominating Kristen Clarke to fill that post in his administration. She is now president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Clarke also served in the Justice Department in the Civil Rights Division and as a prosecutor in the Criminal Division.

In a statement, Biden said his nominees "are eminently qualified, embody character and judgment that is beyond reproach, and have devoted their careers to serving the American people with honor and integrity. They will restore the independence of the Department so it serves the interests of the people not a presidency, rebuild public trust in the rule of law, and work tirelessly to ensure a more fair and equitable justice system."

Thursday's event comes a day after supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol.

In a statement Thursday, acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said that "the DOJ is committed to ensuring that those responsible for this attack on our Government and the rule of law face the full consequences of their actions under the law."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR News' Brian Naylor is a correspondent on the Washington Desk. In this role, he covers politics and federal agencies.