Merrick Garland Defends DOJ From Outrage Over Trump Defense: We Can’t Have ‘One Rule for Friends’ and Another for Foes

Josh FeldmanJun 9th, 2021, 3:30 pm
 

Attorney General Merrick Garland responded Wednesday to serious criticism the DOJ is getting for its involvement in a case against former President Donald Trump.

The Trump DOJ tried to intervene in the defamation case E. Jean Carroll filed against the then-president, regarding comments he made after she publicly accused him of rape. The Biden DOJ is continuing those efforts, and has garnered a lot of criticism. Multiple House Democrats co-signed a letter to Garland requesting a briefing to explain the decision.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D- VY) asked Garland at a Wednesday hearing about criticism the DOJ has gotten for “highly controversial positions” they’ve taken, including on this particular case.

Garland responded, “The job of the Justice Department in making decisions of law is not to back any administration, previous or present. Our job is to represent the American people. Our job, in doing so, is to ensure adherence to the rule of law.”

He said that the DOJ should be treating cases consistently, “that there not be one rule for Democrats and another for Republicans, that there not be one rule for friends and another for foes.”

“It is not always easy to apply that rule,” Garland continued. “Sometimes it means that we have to make a decision about the law that we would never have made, and that we strongly disagree with, as a matter of policy. But in every case, the job of the Justice Department is to make the best judgment it can as to what the law requires.”

He added that policy matters are very different, which is why they’ve “reversed policies of the previous administration many times over the last three months.”

You can watch above, via C-SPAN 3.

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Josh Feldman - Senior Editor

Josh Feldman is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Email him here: josh@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter: @feldmaniac