Garland denies political motives at DOJ amid Hunter case, says politics 'not a part of our determinations’
'The Department has regulations about the appointment of special counsels, and we follow those regulations,' Garland said
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Attorney General Merrick Garland insisted Friday, "We follow the facts and the law," when asked whether the Department of Justice is handling cases in an unbiased way.
CNN correspondent Evan Perez spoke to Garland about his administration of the DOJ thus far, observing, "You have appointed more special counsels than other attorneys general" and adding, "You did this because you wanted to make sure that there was some independence from the way the Justice Department operates."
Perez then brought up one key accusation that the DOJ has received from an unexpected source, "But even the president’s son, Hunter Biden, is accusing the Department of political bias in the prosecutions that have been launched against him. How do you reassure the public that these things are being handled in an independent manner, given the fact that these special counsels do report to you?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Garland defended the DOJ under his watch, arguing that the nature of the case does not impact the institution’s ability to do its job.
When asked during an interview about whether the DOJ is handling cases in an unbiased way, Attorney General Merrick Garland insisted, "We follow the facts and the law." (CNN screenshot)
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"Look, we have reasserted and clarified the norms of this Justice Department," Garland replied. "We follow the facts and the law wherever they lead. Politics is not a part of our determinations. It would be improper and it’s not. The Department has regulations about the appointment of special counsels, and we follow those regulations."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He went on to say, "In each case, we have appointed people who are formerly veteran career prosecutors, whatever their current position is."
When asked by the news correspondent if he believed they are sufficiently independent, Garland answered, "Yes, and regulations make them independent from me."
Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, speaks to members of the media outside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. (Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He then continued, "So, with respect to the public, I hope they will see not only from what we’ve done, but from the outcomes of the cases and the ways in which special counsel have proceeded, that we have kept politics out of this."
Garland and the DOJ have been accused of political bias, especially in regard to investigations into the president's son.
Over the summer, IRS whistleblowers testified to Congress that U.S. Attorney David Weiss had requested special counsel authority from the Justice Department back in 2022, but was denied. They alleged that politics affected prosecutorial decisions.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Garland repeatedly insisted he never had discussions with Weiss about the investigation, and said the prosecutor had the necessary tools to continue his years-long probe into Hunter Biden, but then granted Weiss special counsel authority in August.
In December, Weiss indicted Biden, alleging a "four-year scheme" when the president's son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports.
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.