Joe Biden-Merrick Garland relations have reached frostiness of polar proportions

Dean Obeidallah : Biden aides say Merrick Garland's infatuation with special counsels has gone too far.

He says Biden aides see Garland 's handling of inquiries into Biden family as driven by a punctilious desire to give the appearance that sensitive investigations are walled off from political pressure.

He asks: Garland didn’t have to go the special counsel route; he could have made the decision over whether or not charges were warranted himself, explaining differences between Trump ’s case and that of Biden and Pence.

David Gergen : A federal prosecutor’s job is to shut out the political noise and do justice.

He says Attorney General Garland promoted him with the special counsel appointment, which put Weiss in a position where he can now only be removed “for cause” rather than at the discretion of the president.

Gergen says at stake is the Justice Department's commitment to apolitical justice for both sides.