Reporter Asks Merrick Garland ‘Will Other People Face Charges’ In First Public Appearance After Bombshell Trump Indictment
Attorney General Merrick Garland took one question in his first appearance after the newest bombshell indictment against ex-President Donald Trump — from a reporter who wanted to know if this marks “the end of Jack Smith’s investigation.”
Not long after news broke that Trump has been indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith’s grand jury for his attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Attorney General Garland spoke to reporters as he visited the Philadelphia area as part of the National Night Out campaign.
The indictment lists 6 unnamed co-conspirators, but Trump is the only named defendant charged. The reporter he called on asked if the filing marks “the end of Jack Smith’s investigation, or can we expect more people to face charges?”
Garland responded with some familiar-sounding boilerplate:
REPORTER: Thank you so much, sir. Does today’s indictment mark the end of Jack Smith’s investigation, or can we expect more people to face charges?
AG MERRICK GARLAND: So immediately after the January 6 attack on our democracy, the career men and women of the Justice Department engaged in what has become the largest investigation in our history. In November last year, I appointed Jack Smith special counsel, to take on the ongoing investigation in order to underline the department’s commitment to accountability and independence. Mr. Smith and his team of experienced, principled career agents and prosecutors have followed the facts and the law wherever they lead. Any questions about this matter will have to be answered by the filings made in the courtroom.
Garland didn’t answer shouted questions, including one about National Night Out.
Trump faces charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.
Journalists and other observers have thus far identified all but one of the unnamed co-conspirators.
Watch above via ABC6.
