Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday defended the special counsel who pursued criminal charges against Donald Trump, his first public remarks on the previous president’s indictment.
Garland, nonetheless, declined to go in to further detail concerning the prosecution of the previous president over his handling of classified documents.
“As you already know, I can not talk concerning the particulars of this or every other ongoing criminal matter,” Garland told reporters at the beginning of a gathering with U.S. attorneys on the Department of Justice.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland delivers remarks during a gathering with U.S. attorneys on the Justice Department on June 14, 2023 in Washington, DC.Â
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He had been asked to share when he first learned that special counsel Jack Smith was moving toward an indictment. The questioner also referenced the recent swell of criticism from Trump’s allies and other Republicans who’ve accused the Justice Department of being weaponized.
“As I said after I appointed Mr. Smith, I did so since it underscores the Justice Department’s commitment to each independence and accountability,” the attorney general said.
“Mr. Smith is a veteran profession prosecutor. He has assembled a bunch of experienced and talented prosecutors and agents who share his commitment to integrity and the rule of law,” Garland said.
“Any questions on this matter could have to be answered by their filings in court,” he added.
A spokesman for the special counsel declined to comment.
The exchange marked the primary time Garland publicly discussed Trump’s indictment on 37 counts related to his alleged mishandling of classified records that were stored at his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago after he left office.
The previous president pleaded not guilty to the costs during his arraignment Tuesday in federal court in Miami.
Garland was also asked to detail whether he had a job within the indictment process. “My role is totally consistent with the regulations that set forth responsibilities to the attorney general, under the special counsel regulations, and I followed those regulations,” he said.
He declined one other request to clarify why the unprecedented federal indictment of a former president was the “best and most appropriate step” to take.
Garland appointed Smith in November, days after Trump announced he would run for president within the 2024 election. The attorney general, who was picked by President Joe Biden, said on the time that he took that step in order that prosecutors could “make decisions indisputably guided only by the facts and the law.”
Smith took the helm of the continuing criminal investigation into the classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, and one other criminal probe into the events surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Trump and his defenders have nevertheless attacked Smith before and after the federal grand jury returned its indictment. After his arraignment, Trump assailed Smith as a “deranged lunatic” during a campaign-style speech at his Latest Jersey golf club.
