Attorney General Merrick Garland ventured up to Capitol Hill for the second time in as many weeks for an oversight hearing Wednesday, this time in the Senate Judiciary Committee, that featured several pointed clashes between Garland and Republican senators.

As a federal judge, Garland has been largely insulated from the increasingly bitter partisan battles over the last 25 years, with the notable exception of his ill-fated nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016. But as attorney general he has found himself squarely in the line of fire from Republicans, who have seized on, and mischaracterized, a department memo from earlier this month to argue that Garland’s Justice Department is targeting parents angry over anti-racism curriculums and mask mandates.