DOJ Memo Renews Leftist Calls To Fire AG Garland

Liberals and other Trump critics took to Twitter to renew calls for the firing of Attorney General Merrick Garland after MSNBC host Rachel Maddow reported on a Justice Department memo on her show Monday.

The May 25 memo extended guidance from then-Attorney General William Barr that required the attorney general’s approval to begin investigations into presidential campaigns, Maddow noted. The memo cited the need to avoid the appearance of affecting election results.

“Department employees must also adhere to the additional requirements issued by the Attorney General on February 5, 2020, governing the opening of criminal and counter­ intelligence investigations by the Department, including its law enforcement agencies, related to politically sensitive individuals and entities,” the memo read, according to Newsweek.

WATCH:

Barr’s 2020 memo required the written approval of the attorney general to start an investigation into “a declared candidate for president or vice president, a presidential campaign or a senior presidential campaign staff member or adviser absent prior written approval of the attorney general through the deputy attorney general,” according to The New York Times.

“If Merrick Garland hides behind the institutional concern about not appearing partisan and lets Trump slip away by declaring himself a presidential candidate, he will do serious harm to rule of law and the principle no one is above the law,” writer Steven Beschloss posted on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/StevenBeschloss/status/1549206211462963200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener
“Merrick Garland has now fully adopted, endorsed and extended Bill Barr’s 2020 DOJ policy through the 2022 and 2024 elections,” author Don Winslow tweeted. “Garland has doubled down on the bad faith policy of the most corrupt Attorney General in history.”

https://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/1549232312373485569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener
The revelation prompted new calls for Garland to be fired.

“Biden should fire Garland & replace him with an AG who will enforce the law, and not bend to politics and concerns around reputation,” Steve Schmidt of the Lincoln Project, and anti-Trump organization, posted on Twitter. “This is a ‘get out of jail’ card for Trump. Unacceptable.”

“Dems need to march down Pennsylvania Avenue and insist Biden fire Merrick Garland NOW!” former Republican Cheri Jacobus tweeted.

https://twitter.com/CheriJacobus/status/1549396416946229248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.