Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned “an escalation of attacks” against the Justice Department in a speech to employees on Thursday, pushing back against “conspiracy theories, dangerous falsehoods” and “threats of actual violence” that he said endanger the department’s workforce heading into the election.
Billed as an address about the department’s norms, the attorney general praised the efforts of federal prosecutors and investigators and stressed the independence of the Justice Department in remarks at the department’s headquarters in Washington.
“Our norms are a promise that we will not allow this nation to become a country where law enforcement is treated as an apparatus of politics,” Garland said.
Garland’s comments came as the presidential election entered its final stretch, nearly four years after the tumultuous presidential transition marred by the assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“The public servants of the Department of Justice do not bend to politics,” the attorney general said. “We will fiercely protect the independence of this department from political interference in our criminal investigations.”
The Justice Department has weathered heavy criticism from Republicans and Democrats for its handling of various politically sensitive probes in recent years, including investigations into former President Donald Trump, President Biden and the president’s son, Hunter Biden.
Trump was charged in two cases by special counsel Jack Smith — one for alleged conduct tied to his efforts to remain in power after he lost the 2020 election, and another now-dismissed case brought for alleged mishandling of classified information. He and his allies have accused the government of “weaponizing” the Justice Department against them.
USA: Garland condemns “escalation of attacks” and threats against Justice Department employees
