AG #Garland rejects the #Trump claim that Biden tried to assassinate him during the Mar-a-Lago raid:
"That allegation is false and it is extremely dangerous. The document that is being referred to in the allegation is a Justice Department standard policy limiting the use of force. As the FBI advises, it is part of a standard operations plan for searches and in fact it was even used in the consensual search of President Biden's home."
Cross-examination of #MichaelCohen resumes, an opportunity for the defense to poke holes in his testimony & perhaps trip up or provoke the state’s key witness. The questioning of Cohen, #Trump’s fmr fixer, is the beginning of the end of Trump’s #criminal trial, which began April 15 & might conclude before Memorial Day weekend at this pace.
The letters were sent hrs before #GOP-led #House Oversight & Judiciary cmtes were to advance a #contempt resolution against AG #Garland for defying a #subpoena demanding the recordings, which include hrs of Special Counsel Hur interviewing #Biden. #DOJ also sent #HouseRepublicans a letter Garland wrote Biden on Wed requesting he assert #ExecutivePrivilege bc releasing the tapes would “damage future #law enforcement efforts," as investigators request voluntary cooperation from #WhiteHouse ofcls.
AM I THE ONLY ONE who thinks #AG Merrick #Garland needs to intervene in the #ClassifiedDocs case that has now been indefinitely postponed on the grounds that THE AMERICAN PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW BEFORE THE ELECTION if the #Republican candidate for president is a #NationalSecurity risk. #MerrickGarland
#Garland said he would place no restrictions on their work, even if the “#evidence leads to #Trump,” according to people with knowledge of several conversations held over his first months in office.
“Follow the connective tissue upward,” said Mr. Garland, adding a directive that would eventually lead to a dead end: “Follow the money.”
With that, he set the course of a determined & methodical, if at times dysfunctional & maddeningly slow, investigation that would yield the #indictment of #Trump on 4 counts of #ElectionInterference in Aug 2023.
The story of how it unfolded, based on dozens of interviews, is one that would pit #Garland, a quintessential rule follower determined to restore the DOJ’s morale & independence, against the ultimate rule breaker — Trump, who was intent on bending the #legal system to his will.
#RobertHur said that AG #MerrickGarland did not interfere w/his investigation or attempt to modify his report. Rep Joe #Neguse asked #Hur a series of yes/no questions about whether #Garland —or any #DOJ ofcls— attempted to impede the investigation.
The appointment of a #SpecialCounsel is intended to make high-profile, sensitive investigations as #independent & #apolitical as possible. A SC has more independence from DOJ ldrs than other fed prosecutors, but still ultimately answers to the #USAG.
“Attorney General #Garland did not interfere w/my efforts, & I was able to conduct a fair, thorough & independent investigation,” #Hur said. #Neguse was attempting to draw a distinction between how Garland acted in regard to the Hur investigation & how AG #BillBarr acted when special counsel Robert #Mueller completed his investigation & report examining #Trump & #ForeignInterference in the 2016 #election results.
If you would like to self select for the "Tattoo an L to my forehead please" club and defend Merrick Garland please let me know for my two cents towards your fund in the form of a block
"Donald Trump endorsed his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to help lead the Republican National Committee, a move that would tighten his hold on the party even as the 2024 nominating contest continues."
>> I don't think it's fair to accuse #Democrats of never calling Trump to task for his nepotism… because the press was singlemindedly focused on "but her emails."… They're doing it again now.
>> …story become the #censorship… [or] that looks #partisan. Let it all play out.
I let it all play out. I respect your views, but #Biden's original sin was choosing #Garland — to redeem, to rehabilitate, to #appease Republicans, & to appear non-partisan.
None of that worked because appeasement NEVER works.
When half of country still believe 2020 elections were stolen, there's NOTHING Biden could've done to appease them, instill confidence in them, & appear non-partisan.
I keep thinking about how Barr released a wildly misleading “summary” of the Mueller report to shape the coverage prior to the report’s release, and he’s still treated as a serious person.
It woulda been entirely defensible for #Garland to follow that precedent and summarize Hur’s legal findings without the inappropriate editorializing and unqualified diagnoses. #Election2024
I’d really like to see another #SaturdayNightMassacre with #Garland’s head rolling down the White House lawn, but I do remember how it backfired the first time.
“These threats of #violence are unacceptable. They threaten the fabric of our #democracy," #Garland says. The #AG also notes the 3rd anniversary of the attack (#insurrection) on the Capitol, calling #Jan6 "an unprecedented attack on the cornerstone of our system of government--the #PeacefulTransferOfPower from one administration to the next." He says >1250 people have been charged & >890 convictions have been obtained in the #DOJ's sprawling investigation of the 2021 attack.
Federal #law enforcement has recorded a “deeply disturbing spike” in #threats against government workers & public servants in recent months, #USAG#MerrickGarland told reporters Fri.
This week alone, ofcls are investigating #BombThreats that forced evacuations at several courthouses & state capitols across the country. The AG said federal ofcls also arrested & charged a man for threatening to kill a congressman & his children.
"On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported that relations between President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland have reached frostiness of polar proportions."