Democrats have begun criticizing Attorney General Merrick Garland over the 2024 election, arguing that he took too long to launch an investigation into President-elect Donald Trump.
Garland announced in 2022 that he would hire special counsel Jack Smith to investigate allegations that Trump and his allies tried to overturn the 2020 election results. Garland said at the time that his decision was based on Trump's announcement that he was running for president, but some Democrats said the committee's findings on Jan. 6 were not enough to launch an investigation. It was claimed that there should have been more than enough to do so.
“Mr. Garland began his prosecution after he was effectively forced to do so by the committee's January 6 report and criminal referral,” said New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler. He told HuffPost US.. “The evidence used by the committee on January 6 was available from the beginning.”
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D.Y.) was one of many Democrats to criticize the Justice Department over President-elect Donald Trump's victory. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“If they had gone ahead with the indictment, I think he would have been convicted and we would have had a different president by now,” he added. “Merrick Garland wasted a year.”
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California Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a member of the committee on Jan. 6, also believed Garland took too long to launch an investigation.
“I didn't know they weren't looking at the big picture,” Lofgren told HuffPost. “I think they were watching the infantry.”
California Sen. Adam Schiff was more critical, writing that the Department of Justice (DOJ) “moved aggressively regarding the people who broke into the building, but waited almost a year because they were higher-level people.” told US Edition. ”
“That was a fatal mistake,” Schiff said.
Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith agreed, saying, “I think the department was very focused on kind of following the book and making it clear that there was no political interference.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that a special counsel will investigate President Trump in 2022. (Ting Sheng/Getty Images)
She added, “I'm really worried that he will become president and pardon a bunch of people.” [a] The great whitewashing about what happened will continue. ”
President Biden himself reportedly regretted choosing Garland as attorney general and believed it was too late to prosecute Trump.
Other Democrats were more tolerant of the Justice Department and placed more blame on President Trump for changing the narrative on January 6th.
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“This is not about the Justice Department. This is about President Trump's success in rewriting history,” said Vermont Sen. Peter Welch. “He recognized the legitimacy of the people who stormed the Capitol, and I don't think it would have made a difference whether it was a month ago, a month later, six months ago.”
President Biden reportedly regrets that Garland took so long to investigate Trump. (Jack Gruber-USA TODAY)
Smith is expected to resign in time for President Trump's second inauguration on January 20th. He must submit a report summarizing his findings to the Department of Justice, with recommendations for prosecution or dismissal. But the Justice Department's longstanding policy is against indicting a sitting president.
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