Joe Biden used Merrick Garland to launch investigations against Donald Trump.

Posted by Badlands Media, Aug 11, 2026Checked Nov 2, 2026

Polygraph verdictFalse

Sources: 5 contradict1 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 60%

Badlands MediaAug 11, 2026

The claim that Biden used Garland to launch investigations against Trump is contradicted by Garland's sworn-hearing statements that no one directed his charging decisions and by reporting that he appointed the Trump special counsel himself. The post's wording, "it's hard to say Joe Biden did it," concedes the direction was never shown, and no source documents Biden directing the probes.

What was said

… Tina Peters got nine years. Sonia Hawkes Lewis got probation and a fine. So, yeah, that concerns me too. Launching investigations against political opponents at the direction of the president, yeah, I mean, all of the stuff that Joe Biden did to President Trump, you know, and his using Merrick Garland, and it's hard to say Joe Biden did it. I mean, at the direction of the president in the Biden years really means the direction of the oligarchy running the auto pen, but, yeah, that's concerning as well. …

Badlands Media · Aug 11, 2026· from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Contradicts. In a 2026 House Judiciary hearing, Garland said "no one has told me who should be indicted in any matter like this" and that the indictment decision was made by special counsel Jack Smith.[2]

Contradicts. Biden said in January 2021 that Garland would be a lawyer for the people and not the president, and would restore the DOJ's independence from the White House.[4]

Contradicts. Garland himself appointed special counsel Jack Smith to investigate Trump's classified documents, and Garland said the DOJ does not have different rules for Republicans and Democrats.[1][3][5]

Context. A 2026 Washington Examiner report quotes acting AG Todd Blanche saying Garland personally approved the FBI's 2022 Mar-a-Lago search, but it attributes that approval to Garland and does not say Biden directed it.[6]

Context. The post itself says the claim is about Biden's use of Garland, but the speaker concedes "it's hard to say Joe Biden did it," so the direction the claim asserts is not established by the passage.

Sources

6 sources: 1 fact-checker, 2 tier 2, 3 not rated

1Special counsel appointed to probe Biden's handling of classified documentsreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
2What we covered herecnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts
3Garland defends handling of Trump, Biden special counsel ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts
4Biden's attorney general wanted to return to normal ordernhpr.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
5Biden vs. Trump: What is the difference between the two classified ...english.elpais.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
6Blanche says Garland 'didn’t own up' to involvement in Trump caseswashingtonexaminer.com · not rated · cited for: context

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

Badlands Media · Aug 11, 2026Post →

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