Rep. Massie presses AG Garland on constitutionality of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s appointment
During a House Judiciary hearing Tuesday, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., pressed Attorney General Merrick Garland on the constitutionality on appointing Jack Smith as special counsel.
Attorney General Merrick Garland responded to criticism of the Department of Justice in a Tuesday op-ed for The Washington Post, calling claims that the department has been politicized "false."
Without naming them, Garland alluded to former President Trump and his allies, who have repeatedly claimed the DOJ was involved in the New York criminal case against the presumptive GOP nominee, who was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records by a Manhattan jury.
"We have seen an escalation of attacks that go far beyond public scrutiny, criticism, and legitimate and necessary oversight of our work. They are baseless, personal and dangerous," Garland wrote.
Garland said the attacks come in the form of "threats" to defund Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith's efforts to prosecute the former president.
JOHNSON FLOATS DEFUNDING SPECIAL COUNSEL’S OFFICE AMID JACK SMITH’S TRUMP PROBE
Attorney General Merrick Garland rejected "false claims" that the Justice Department was being politicized on his watch in an op-ed for The Washington Post. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Trump's lawyer, Will Scharf, argued during an appearance on ABC in early June that Matthew Colangelo, a former DOJ official, helped Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg prosecute the case against Donald Trump.
"Well, how about the fact that Matthew Colangelo was standing over Alvin Bragg’s shoulder when he announced this verdict," Scharf said. "I mean, Colangelo was the number three official in the Biden Department of Justice who suddenly disappears and shows up as an assistant district attorney, right as Trump’s case in New York starts to proceed. You want to talk about political …"
The attorney general said the attacks on public servants were "absurd and dangerous," as they were just doing their jobs.
"The Justice Department makes decisions about criminal investigations based only on the facts and the law. We do not investigate people because of their last name, their political affiliation, the size of their bank account, where they come from or what they look like. We investigate and prosecute violations of federal law — nothing more, nothing less," Garland said.
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Former President Donald Trump attends UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena on July 8, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
In addition to taking on political critiques of the department, Garland also condemned violent threats against DOJ staff.
"These heinous threats of violence have become routine in an environment in which the Justice Department is under attack like never before," he wrote, arguing that the attacks were efforts to "bully and intimidate" public servants.
He said disagreements about politics were normal, but "conspiracy theories, falsehoods, violence and threats of violence to affect political outcomes" were not.
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"Continued unfounded attacks against the Justice Department’s employees are dangerous for people’s safety. They are dangerous for our democracy. This must stop," Garland wrote.
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