Rep. Eric Swalwell said those who agree with former President Donald Trump’s claims of legal persecution are “in a cult.”

The California Democrat unloaded on fellow Republicans during a hearing Tuesday with Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was peppered with questions from the GOP about his department’s decision-making in pursuing charges against Mr. Trump.

Mr. Swalwell said Republican objections had turned into “hypocrisy” and “sycophancy.”

“If you believe in states’ rights, except when a jury in that state convicts your nominee for president, you might be in a cult. If you claim you back the blue but want to defund the police when the police go to your nominee’s house to retrieve national security secrets, you might be in a cult,” Mr. Swalwell said.

He then said Mr. Trump’s felony conviction last week in a New York courtroom on charges of falsifying business records makes him unable to travel to numerous nations.

He read the list — in alphabetical order, beginning with Argentina and ending with the U.K. — as committee Chairman Jim Jordan tried to gavel him down.

“The gentleman is out of order. The time has expired,” Mr. Jordan declared.

Mr. Swalwell and Mr. Trump have long been at odds, dating back to the Democratic congressman’s days on the intelligence committee, which pursued unfounded rumors about Mr. Trump.

The former president, for his part, has delighted in recounting Mr. Swalwell’s entanglement with a suspected Chinese spy, Christine Fang. Mr. Swalwell was booted from the intelligence panel by Republicans at the start of this Congress.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.