Attorney General Merrick Garland refused to rule out the possibility of prosecuting 45th President Donald Trump, his longtime political enemy who is reportedly planning a second run against Garland’s boss, Joe Biden.
In an interview with Lester Holt earlier this week, Garland refused to state clearly whether he would prosecute his political enemy, even if Trump were running for office. This comes amid reports from The Washington Post that Trump is being criminally investigated.
“We pursue justice without fear or favor,” Garland asserted. “We intend to hold everyone – anyone – who was criminally responsible for the events surrounding January 6, or any attempt to interfere with the lawful transfer of power from one administration to another, accountable.”
When Holt pressed him again, Garland again demurred.
“I’ll say again that we will hold accountable anyone who was criminally responsible for attempting to interfere with the transfer of – legitimate, lawful transfer – of power from one administration to the next,” said Garland.
While Garland and Biden appear able to prosecute their political enemies without fear of reprisal, in 2018 Trump was lambasted by the media for reportedly seeking to investigate and prosecute Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director Jim Comey.
Salon argued at the time that the gravest threat posed by Trump’s alleged request was the dangerous precedent of persecuting political opponents while in power.
“Why does Trump not understand that in a democracy, the president does not pursue whims as criminal investigations, particularly against opponents who simply counter him in the political arena?” The left wing outlet summarized, “That is what we expect from countries with dictators.”
While Garland’s appointment by the Biden administration may already cause concerns of politically motivated investigations, Garland would likely be a Supreme Court Justice had Trump not won the 2016 election.
Merrick Garland: "We will hold accountable anyone who is criminally responsible for attempting to interfere with the legitimate transfer of power from one administration to the next." pic.twitter.com/JvneGCRjDq
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 27, 2022
President Barack Obama nominated Garland to fill Antonin Scalia’s seat on the Supreme Court during his last year in office, and Sen. Mitch McConnell used his leadership role to block Garland’s appointment until after the 2016 election. Trump, meanwhile, had promised to appoint judges to the high court who would be willing to overturn Roe v. wade.
Trump has characterized the January 6 committee and its television broadcasts as a political show trial meant to keep him from running in 2024.
The anti-Trump partisans on the committee include some of the 45th president’s most prominent political enemies, including Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney.
Cheney is believed to be down by as far as 20 points against her challenger Harriet Hageman, who Trump endorsed last year in a decision that, while upsetting some allies in the state, appears to have solidified the pro-Trump opposition.
Cheney appears to believe that losing Republican voters in Wyoming due to her rivalry with the 45th president may help her on the national stage, as she recently refused to rule out running for president in 2024.
