Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday argued for a return to “norms” at the Justice Department despite Republican allegations of a dual justice system.
Garland told Defense Department officials in Washington, D.C., calling former President Trump's tenure in the White House “a particularly challenging time for the Department of Defense.”
“When I returned to the Department of Justice in 2021 after a particularly challenging period for the department, I said my mission as attorney general would be to reaffirm and strengthen these norms as the principles by which the Department will operate,” he said.
But Garland did not mention the Justice Department's failure to enforce federal laws against protesters harassing a conservative judge at his home in 2022, its delaying of the trial of a man accused of plotting to kill Justice Brett Kavanaugh while fast-tracking cases involving Trump, or its writing of a letter directing the National Security Agency to surveil angry parents at school board meetings, said Fox News legal editor Kelly Urburn.
Appearing on America Report on Thursday, Urburn criticized the Justice Department for providing regular updates on its aggressive prosecution of cases from the January 6 riots while remaining silent about anti-Israel agitators who defaced and destroyed private and federal property. Urburn also said the Justice Department delayed its investigation of Hunter Biden until a whistleblower spoke out, then nearly granted him a “sweet” plea deal.
Ex-CIA officer sentenced to prison for accepting gifts from China in exchange for secret information
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC (Ting Sheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“So we have taken steps to better protect the Department of Justice's criminal and civil law enforcement decisions and legal judgments from partisan or other improper influence,” Garland continued.
Garland lamented accusations that the department is being weaponized against political opponents, calling it “conspiracy theories, dangerous lies.” [and] “Threatening and intimidating career public servants.”
“Our norm is a commitment that we will not allow this police department to be used as a political weapon, and our norm is a commitment that we will not allow this country to become a country where law enforcement is treated as a political tool,” Garland told Justice Department officials.
Court victory for whistleblower advocacy group puts spotlight on Justice Department's covert surveillance of Congressional staff
Garland's comments were seen as a response to accusations from across the Republican Party in recent years that the Justice Department has been used as an avenue to attack President Trump.
In June, The Washington Post published an opinion piece written by Garland in which he denied claims that the department was trying to influence the 2024 election.
WATCH: Garland says Justice Department will return to 'standards' under his watch
Garland referred to Trump and his allies without naming them. The Department of Justice has repeatedly asserted He was the man behind the New York criminal case against the Republican presidential candidate, who was convicted by a Manhattan jury on all 34 counts of falsifying business records.
“We have seen escalating attacks that go far beyond public scrutiny, criticism, and legitimate and necessary oversight of our operations. They are baseless, personal and dangerous,” Garland wrote.
Garland claimed at the time that the attacks included “threats” to cut off funding for Special Counsel Jack Smith's prosecution of the former president.
Garland added at the time, “The Department of Justice makes criminal investigative decisions based solely on facts and the law. We don't investigate based on last names, political affiliations, bank account balances, where people are from or what they look like. We investigate and prosecute violations of federal law — nothing more, nothing less.”
“With all due respect, Attorney General, it is certainly not normal to indict a former president and future presidential candidate of the United States and a political opponent of your boss,” Urburn said.
Urbain said Smith had raised “untested legal theories” against Trump.
“They're basically twisting the law in ways that have never been done before in order to fit the facts in a way that suits them and get these people arrested,” Urbahn continued.
Some have pointed out hypocrisy in the Justice Department's recent treatment of groups it has lumped together as politically conservative compared to groups typically classified as liberal.
In 2023, Matthew Graves, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced the conviction of Paula “Paulette” Harlow, 75, of Kingston, Massachusetts, for “conspiracy against federal rights” and violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act) for her participation in a 2020 protest at an abortion clinic.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Critics were quick to complain of injustice, pointing out that Graves has yet to condemn or warn of possible charges against the roughly 200 anti-Israel activists, some armed with pepper spray, who rioted at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in November, injuring at least six Capitol Police officers.
As former President Trump continues to accuse the Justice Department of weaponizing the justice system in his two federal criminal cases, Garland praised the department's 115,000 lawyers, agents and other employees for not bowing to politics. (Ting Sheng/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Fox News' Chris Pandolfo, Brooke Singman and Hannah Panrec contributed to this report.
