Last updated on June 15th, 2021 at 07:07 pm
Attorney General Merrick Garland vowed that there would be swift action to deal with the Department of Justice spying on Democrats.
As I stated during my confirmation hearing, political or other improper considerations must play no role in any investigative or prosecutorial decisions. These principles that have long been held as sacrosanct by the DOJ career workforce will be vigorously guarded on my watch, and any failure to live up to them will be met with strict accountability.
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There are important questions that must be resolved in connection with an effort by the department to obtain records related to Members of Congress and Congressional staff. I have accordingly directed that the matter be referred to the Inspector General and have full confidence that he will conduct a thorough and independent investigation. If at any time as the investigation proceeds action related to the matter in question is warranted, I will not hesitate to move swiftly.
In addition, and while that review is pending, I have instructed the Deputy Attorney General, who is already working on surfacing potentially problematic matters deserving high level review, to evaluate and strengthen the department’s existing policies and procedures for obtaining records of the Legislative branch. Consistent with our commitment to the rule of law, we must ensure that full weight is accorded to separation-of-powers concerns moving forward.
Changing the policies for obtaining the records of members of Congress is good. Firing the people who were involved in getting records during the Trump administration is even better.
There is no doubt that Attorney General Garland has good intentions, but the DOJ that Garland has returned to is not the same one that he left many years ago. The house cleaning has started, but much more needs to be done. The Department of Justice has a corruption problem that was created by the former president and his two AGs.
Merrick Garland needs to clean out the corruption before he can begin to restore the Department of Justice.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
