Garland defended his choice, stating, “All the people you just mentioned were political, would be political appointees. I appointed somebody who was not a political appointee, somebody who was independent, nonpartisan, with a record of career experience as a prosecutor. That seemed to me the perfect resume for making that kind of decision.”

However, Jordan remained unsatisfied and pressed further, questioning the impartiality of Smith’s past prosecutions and highlighting his interactions with key figures involved in previous IRS controversies. “Did the fact that he was interested in going after the very people who were targeted by the IRS about a decade ago, did that have any influence on your selection?” Jordan queried, presenting an email excerpt suggesting Smith’s keen interest in prosecuting cases related to nonprofit misuse for evading campaign finance laws.