Attorney General Merrick Garland condemns “dangerous” and “outrageous” attacks on prosecutors and Justice Department employees

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday condemned “dangerous” and “outrageous” attacks on prosecutors and Justice Department employees and sought to assure them that he stands behind them.

In his at times emotional and forceful speech to his staff, Garland seemed to allude to the kind of accusations and threats made by former President Donald Trump and his allies and supporters, although Trump was not explicitly mentioned by name in his remarks.

Garland thanked Justice Department employees for their efforts in the face of an “escalation of attacks on attorneys, agents and other Justice Department personnel” over the past three and a half years.

“These attacks have taken the form of conspiracy theories, dangerous falsehoods, attempts to intimidate and intimidate officials through repeated and public shaming, and threats of actual violence,” Garland said. “It is dangerous and outrageous that we have to endure this.”

“It is dangerous to attack and intimidate individual members of this department simply for doing their jobs,” Garland added. “And it is outrageous that you have to face these baseless attacks for doing the right thing and upholding the rule of law.”

Garland received loud applause when he said, “The way you do this job makes it clear that Justice Department officials do not bend to politics. And that they do not crumble under pressure.”

One of his main points was that all Americans were equal before the law: “There is not one rule for friends and another for enemies, one rule for the powerful and another for the powerless, one rule for the rich and another for the poor, one rule for Democrats and another for Republicans, nor different rules according to race or ethnicity.”

“On the contrary, we have only one rule: we follow the facts and apply the law in a manner that respects the Constitution and protects civil liberties,” he said.

The attorney general said he and other department officials would “vigorously protect the Justice Department’s independence from political interference in our criminal investigations,” would not allow the department to be used “as a political weapon,” and would not allow law enforcement to be “treated as a political apparatus.”

Garland listed steps the department has already taken to protect the Justice Department’s criminal and civil decisions, including reinstating policies governing communications between Justice Department officials and Congress and the White House, improving and clarifying policies governing sensitive FBI investigations, and issuing new policies to govern “prosecutor’s discretion with respect to charging, confessions, and sentencing.”

Regarding the attacks on prosecutors, 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 also have my promise that nothing will ever stop me from defending this department and the extraordinary people who work here,” Garland said.

Since leaving office in 2021, Trump has repeatedly criticized the Justice Department for its investigation and charges against him. Trump and his lawyers have claimed that the Justice Department was used as a weapon against him to prevent his re-election as president.

Trump’s campaign team did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment on Garland’s remarks.

The former president has called Justice Department officials derogatory names, including calling special counsel Jack Smith, who has prosecuted Trump on several counts, “mentally deranged.” He also threatened prosecutors, saying in a Truth Social post last year, alluding to election interference allegations against him, “IF YOU PURSUIT ME, I’LL PURSUIT YOU!” In response, judges in various cases have issued news gag orders to prevent Trump from speaking about certain officials.

Smith was even the target of a swatting incident, as were judges who were involved in Trump’s cases.

During the six-week hush money trial in New York this year, Trump said in remarks outside the courtroom almost daily that Biden’s Justice Department was being used as a weapon against him. The case, however, was not a federal one; it was brought by Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney. Trump was eventually found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

One of Trump’s proposals if he wins the election is to reinstate an executive order called Schedule F, which would make it easier for the president to fire government employees. The policy focus would be on restructuring federal agencies and removing what Trump’s plan calls “corrupt actors” from national security and intelligence.

In recent weeks, Trump has doubled down on threats that he will use the Justice Department to prosecute those he believes have acted against him while he was away.

After a recent rally, Trump wrote on social media: “IF I WIN, the people who CHEATED will be punished to the fullest extent of the law, including lengthy prison sentences. Please note that these legal consequences also extend to lawyers, political operatives, donors, illegal voters and corrupt election officials.”