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STORY: U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered a farewell address on Thursday as he prepares to step down from his post.
In it, he urged career civil servants at the Justice Department to abide by ‘norms.’
“It is the obligation of each of us to follow our norms, not only when it is easy, but also when it is hard. Especially when it is hard.”
Democratic critics of Donald Trump have voiced concern that the president-elect will undermine the independence of the judiciary when he takes office on Monday.
Trump has said his administration will prosecute some of his political adversaries.
He has often attacked Garland and other DOJ employees for what he says have been politically motivated legal cases brought against him.
In his Thursday remarks, Garland also commended staff for not letting outside noise prevent them from doing what is right for the country.
‘The story that has been told by some outside of this building about what has happened inside of it is wrong. You have worked to pursue justice, not politics.”
Garland’s address came on the second day of confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee for Pam Bondi, Trump’s nominee to be the next attorney general.
On day one of the hearings, Bondi faced questions from Democrats who said they feared she would abuse the department’s law enforcement powers to appease Trump by seeking retribution against his political enemies.
Bondi pledged to maintain the Justice Department’s independence and not to target people based on their politics.
“There will never be an enemy’s list within the Department of Justice.”
However, Bondi also spoke critically of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s two prior probes against Trump.
She declined to explicitly rule out whether she might launch an investigation into him.
