Garland calls outrage at DOJ over Trump New York verdict a ‘conspiracy theory’
Attorney General Merrick Garland accused Republicans of spreading conspiracy theories by suggesting the Justice Department was involved in former President Trump’s conviction by a New York jury.
The comment from Garland came during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, as he was listing a “long line of attacks” on the Justice Department, including by members of Congress who have threatened to withhold federal funding over the verdict.
“It comes alongside false claims that a jury verdict in a state trial, brought by a local district attorney, was somehow controlled by the Justice Department. That conspiracy theory is an attack on the judicial process itself,” Garland said.
While Republicans in Congress have complained Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) brought charges against Trump for political purposes, the former president was found guilty by the 12 jurors on every single one of the 34 counts at play in the case. The jurors were agreed to by both prosecutors and Trump’s attorneys.
Many lawmakers echoed Trump in attacking the justice system at large in the wake of the verdict. In addition to criticizing the Justice Department, some have also sought to pin blame on President Biden despite state prosecutors’ complete independence from the White House or Justice Department in making charging decisions.
Some have similarly threatened to withhold funding from the Justice Department and have said the government should block funding from state prosecutors. Such offices usually only receive federal funding through grant programs.
The attacks on the justice system have earned condemnation from a handful of Republicans.
“It’s dangerous to question the integrity of our entire legal system,” John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, said last week before the verdict was even announced, adding that U.S. enemies rejoice when American’s question their own institutions.
The tough language from Garland comes amid a slew of accusations from Republicans against the department, including a baseless claim from Trump that DOJ gave the green light to assassinate him during the search of Mar-a-Lago.
The document he pointed to actually bars the FBI from using deadly force unless there is an imminent threat of danger, and the Justice Department intentionally planned their search for when Trump would not be home.
Garland in his opening remarks didn’t call out Trump directly, but noted “baseless and extremely dangerous falsehoods are being spread about the FBI’s law enforcement operations.”