Snubbed as Obama high court pick, Garland readies for AG confirmation hearings

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate hearings begin Monday for Joe Biden’s selection for attorney general — Judge Merrick Garland.

Biden is trying to restore the Justice Department’s reputation as an independent body.

The president also is looking for an attorney general who’ll manage the tax investigation of Biden’s son, Hunter, as well as the fallout from the Capitol riot, and a special prosecutor is looking into how the FBI handled the Russia probe.

Some five years ago, Garland’s nomination for the Supreme Court withered because the then-Republican-controlled Senate refused to hold a hearing.