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In his first public remarks since former President Donald Trump’s second criminal indictment, Attorney General Merrick Garland defended special counsel Jack Smith — along with his own role in the classified documents case.
“My role is completely consistent with the regulations that set forth the responsibilities of the attorney general under the special counsel regulations, and I followed those regulations,” Garland said on Wednesday.
The attorney general, who appointed Smith in November to oversee the Justice Department’s investigations into the 77-year-old former president’s handling of classified White House documents and his actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol Building, refused to comment on the “particulars” of Trump’s federal indictment.
Garland, however, staunchly defended the special counsel’s “integrity” and “independence” during his brief remarks Wednesday.
