It’s been nearly two weeks since the Department of Justice demanded Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., explain what he meant by saying fellow Democrats should “bring actual weapons to this bar fight” in an interview on CNN.

And according to Garcia, U.S. Attorney Ed Martin is going to be waiting a while longer for a response – if Garcia sends any at all. The Long Beach congressman says his office never even received the letter from Martin, and only became aware of it when a Washington Post reporter reached out for comment.

“They want to silence criticism. And I think that's what's really dangerous. And I mean – someone asked ‘well are you going to stop saying things like that?’ And I said, ‘I'm not going to stop using metaphors.’ I mean, that's ridiculous, you know, and so I just don't know how to respond, without sounding kind of humorous because that's what it is,” said Garcia in an interview with Spectrum News.

What You Need To Know

  • U.S. Attorney Ed Martin released a letter nearly two weeks ago demanding Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., explain what he meant by saying fellow Democrats should “bring actual weapons to this bar fight” in an interview on CNN

  • Garcia says he only became aware of the letter after a reporter reached out for comment, but that his office has never received a copy, and that if they do receive a copy, "we'll think about [responding]"

  • Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., also introduced a censure resolution against Garcia for those same remarks

  • Spectrum News reached out to the U.S. Attorney's office for comment for this story, but our inquiries went unanswered

“When we receive the letter, I guess we'll think about [responding]. But, the response really has been and will be what we've already been doing, which is not being silenced. And so, I think it's the only response that it's really deserving,” he continued.

For years, Republicans slammed Democrats and particularly President Joe Biden for what they called “weaponizing” the Department of Justice against President Donald Trump. But Garcia argues that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing.

“If you're going to send in a letter on U.S. attorney letterhead saying that you're going to be investigated for using a metaphor, that's weaponizing the Department of Justice,” he argued. "It's very clear that the U.S. attorney, who, by the way, of course, is a Trump appointee, sent the letter because he doesn't want people to criticize Elon Musk or Donald Trump."

On top of the censure, Garcia is also facing a censure resolution introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. The congresswoman announced the resolution on X, calling Garcia’s comments on CNN “far beyond the pale.”

Garcia’s message to Mace: bring it on.

“Nancy Mace likes to talk a big game and was like ‘I'm going to censure you, and you deserve to be censured.’ I've yet to see her actually do anything but submit a piece of paper. So, you know, if Nancy Mace wants to have a debate about the censure on the floor, I'm ready to have that debate. But I think she’s probably a little bit too cowardly to do so,” the California Democrat said.

One of the most recent House member censured was fellow Californian Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who now serves as the Golden State’s junior senator. A censure resolution was brought against him in 2023 by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. for comments Schiff made about investigations into Donald Trump's ties to Russia.

Schiff says the latest effort to censure Garcia is simply “something to occupy the time of the House.” 

“They should be focused on the real problems of the American people, they should be focused on bringing down the cost of food and gas and the cost of living for Americans, that's supposedly what Donald Trump ran on,” said Schiff. “We're seeing instead, prices going up and up and up, as anyone who's bought eggs lately can tell you with great pain, but these censure resolutions aren't going to help any of that. They're just another partisan waste of time.”

One potential consequence of Mace's resolution and the Department of Justice’s letter is a bonus for Garcia: amplification of his profile within the Democratic Party.

“He's already one of the better known new Democrats who got elected this decade, he's one of the few young, fresh faces,” pointed out Christian Grose, a professor of political science at the University of Southern California. “The attacks against him are actually highlighting him beyond California, beyond Long Beach, and I think it helps him. I think it helps his reputation.”

“I think he’s excited to fight with people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and with Elon Musk, and I think it only elevates his status in Washington,” Grose added. 

A spokesperson for Rep. Mace did not respond to the comments made by Garcia but did tell Spectrum News the congresswoman "will likely bring it as a privileged motion at some point in the near future." A privileged motion would require a vote within two legislative days.

Requests for comment sent to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia’s office for comment went unanswered.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to include a comment from Rep. Mace's team. (Feb. 28, 2025)