Political speech, timestamped and in context

John Neely Kennedy: “You asked General Garland to appoint you special counsel, didn't you?”

Featuring: John Neely Kennedy, Republican | U.S. Senate from Louisiana

'Mrs. Smith Was, Wasn't She?': John Kennedy Grills Jack Smith About Wife's Support Of Democrats

Published October 5, 2026

I'm not going to speak about my family here today. I'm happy, though, to answer any questions you have about my actual work as special counsel. You. You asked General Garland to appoint you special counsel, didn't you? I don't think that's accurate. He made the decision to appoint me. You. In fact, you had people call General Garland to lobby him to appoint you, didn't you? (01:26–01:34)

STATEMENT

Asserts that [the Other Speaker] asked General Garland to appoint them as special counsel.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

See the main statements from John Neely Kennedy in this video

“In fact, President Biden and/or his White House staff told General Garland to prosecute the president, didn't they?”
Asserts that President Biden or his staff instructed General Garland to prosecute President Trump.05:24-05:28
“You sought the phone records of a bunch of US Senators, right?”
Asserts that [the Other Speaker] sought the phone records of multiple US Senators.05:54-06:00
“You didn't even tell him you were seeking the phone records of members of Congress.”
Asserts that the speaker did not inform Judge Boasberg about seeking phone records of Congress members.07:07-07:13
“In fact, you had people call General Garland to lobby him to appoint you, didn't you?”
Asserts that [the Other Speaker] had people lobby General Garland for their appointment as special counsel.01:42-01:49
“You really wanted to be special counsel, didn't you?”
Asserts that [the Other Speaker] had a strong desire to be special counsel.01:54-01:59
“And the Attorney general checked with President Biden, is that right?”
Asserts that the Attorney General consulted President Biden regarding the prosecution of President Trump.03:40-03:45
“When you decided to prosecute President Trump, you told General Garland, is that right?”
Asserts that [the Other Speaker] informed General Garland about the decision to prosecute President Trump.05:24-05:28
“You saw just the records of the Republicans and you knew that violated the speech and debate clause, didn't you?”
Asserts that [the Other Speaker] only sought Republican records, violating the speech and debate clause.06:30-06:41
“Anybody who knows a law book from a J. Crew catalog knows that this violates the Constitution.”
Asserts that seeking phone records of Congress members without disclosure violates the Constitution.07:18-07:25