United States Attorney General Merrick Garland released a new memo this week that all but guarantees the January 6th Select Committee will not get to pursue former President Trump over the riots.
The directive from America’s top law enforcement official, titled “Election Year Sensitivities”, ordered the DOJ to continue following a directive from Trump’s own Attorney General Bill Barr instructing department officials to avoid “partisan politics” in decisions regarding investigations and criminal charges.
“Department employees must also adhere to the additional requirements issued by the Attorney General on February 5, 2020, governing the opening of criminal and counterintelligence investigations by the Department, including its law enforcement agencies, related to politically sensitive individuals and entities,” the memo states.
The memo, which was signed by AG Garland himself, was released as the January 6th Select Committee continues their public hearings of Trump officials and other Trump-adjacent individuals in and around the riot at the Capitol.
While the committee initially promised to pursue criminal charges, the various members involved have more recently suggested that they would simply collect evidence for the Department of Justice and leave the ultimate decision of pursuing charges up to Merrick Garland and his team. The new instructions from the AG all but guarantees that charges will not be brought in relation to the riots.
The news is certain to be welcomed by former-President Trump, who is currently deciding on when to announce his 2024 presidential bid.
Liberals on Twitter were fuming over the announcement.
The United States DOJ has long maintained a stance of neutrality in politics, leading them to avoid charging American politicians with crimes in most situations. Do you think Merrick Garland made the right decision to kill any investigations before they even start or should they have moved forward with the J6 Committee’s requests anyways?
