U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised his employees during a Sept. 12 press conference while pushing back on attacks they encountered, saying the Department of Justice (DOJ) wouldn’t be intimidated.
“Over the past three and a half years, there has been [an] escalation of attacks on the Justice Department’s career lawyers, agents, and other personnel that go far beyond scrutiny, criticism, and legitimate and necessary oversight of our work,” Garland said.
“These attacks have come in the form of conspiracy theories, dangerous falsehoods, efforts to bully and intimidate career public servants by repeatedly and publicly singling them out, and threats of actual violence.”
Toward the end of his speech, Garland choked up, saying that the rule of law is the “foundation of our system of government.”
In the Sept. 10 presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump alleged that the justice system has been abused. The Republican presidential nominee and other Republicans have described the DOJ’s ongoing prosecutions of him as a form of lawfare or weaponization.
Garland said during his Sept. 12 speech, “Our norms are a promise that we will fiercely protect the independence of this department from political interference in our criminal investigations.”
He maintained that the department has an “ironclad” commitment to fairness and impartiality and praised the DOJ’s employees.
Meanwhile, special counsel Jack Smith is preparing to defend the legitimacy of his office before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Florida Judge Aileen Cannon said in her dismissal of his classified documents case against Trump that he was unconstitutionally appointed to investigate the former president.
Smith, in particular, has encountered criticism for his handling of the election-related case against Trump in Washington.
The Supreme Court held this summer that at least part of the indictment was covered by presidential immunity.
The DOJ has encountered criticism for the way it handled cases against Trump and for its approach to investigating pro-life activists, conservative Catholics, and parents protesting at school board meetings.
The Republican-led House of Representatives also voted to hold Garland in contempt earlier this year after he declined to disclose more materials related to the DOJ’s investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. Garland’s department declined after the White House asserted executive privilege.
Much of Garland’s speech on Sept. 12 focused on praising DOJ employees.
“It is dangerous to target and intimidate individual employees of this department solely for doing their jobs, and it is outrageous that you have to face these unfounded attacks because you are doing what is right and upholding the rule of law,” he said.
“You deserve better. You deserve gratitude for the noble and difficult work you do. You deserve recognition for the integrity and skill with which you do that work. You deserve to be honored.”
