WILMINGTON, Del. — President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday introduced his pick for the nation’s top law enforcement official, turning to experienced judge Merrick Garland to help de-politicize the Justice Department and restore the rule of law after what the incoming president described as four years of lawlessness under President Donald Trump.
“The past four years we’ve had a president who’s made his contempt for our democracy, our Constitution, the rule of law, clear in everything he has done,” Biden said, vowing a dramatic shift in his administration. “More than anything, we need to restore the honor, the integrity, the independence of the Department of Justice that’s been so badly damaged.”
If confirmed by the Senate, which is likely, Garland would take over as the U.S. attorney general at a critical moment for the country and the agency. He would inherit urgent challenges related to policing and civil rights, an ongoing criminal tax investigation into Biden’s son, Hunter, and Democratic calls to pursue criminal inquiries into Trump after he leaves office.
Beyond those issues, Garland would be tasked with repairing the American people’s broader distrust in the Justice Department, fomented during a tumultuous four years under Trump’s leadership.
Biden vowed that Garland’s loyalty would rest not with the president, but with the law and Constitution.
Facing the public for the first time at Biden’s side, Garland promised to restore an equal commitment to law and order and integrity to the nation’s top law enforcement agency.