While Justice Department officials are generally not known for making abusive or bold statements in public, they have been especially active in October this year in the kind of politics that have engulfed the department in the past two presidential elections. They have been given clear instructions to remain mostly silent in hopes of avoiding a public outburst. .
The department has instituted what many insiders informally refer to as the “30-day rule,” which is designed to drastically reduce the number of public appearances and statements made by government officials. It is said that An internal Justice Department memo issued this summer and seen by The New York Times said senior officials “must guard against giving the appearance that their official duties are an effort to influence the outcome of an election.” It has been stated.
In some ways, the memo comes amid a high-stakes presidential race in which former President Donald J. Trump, the Republican nominee, faces criminal charges in two federal cases that could evaporate. It reflects Attorney General Merrick B. Garland’s intent to avoid confrontation. If you win, you will be sent to court, or if you lose, you will be sent to court.
Trump, on the other hand, has no such concerns. He declared Thursday that, if elected, he intends to fire Special Counsel Jack Smith on his first day in office.
“I would fire him in two seconds,” Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
In sharp contrast to this campaign rhetoric, the Justice Department memo reflects widespread internal concerns that the department’s actions and statements in the final days of the campaign could be used as political leverage. is emphasized. Especially since the Justice Department’s practices and policies have come under far greater scrutiny since the election campaign. 2016 election.
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