In many ways, Merrick Garland’s Monday confirmation hearing for Attorney General was almost exactly what his 2016 hearing for the Supreme Court would have been. The issues raised by Republican senators—illegal immigration, guns, executive power, big tech—are pretty much standard GOP fare. You could be excused if, based on the proceedings, it felt as if Donald Trump had never happened.

Ranking Minority Member Chuck Grassley set the Republican tone for the proceedings by opening with a long list of stock grievances and gripes, none of which had anything to do...