Garland denies political motives at DOJ amid Hunter case, says politics 'not a part of our determinations’

Attorney General Merrick Garland insisted Friday, "We follow the facts and the law," when asked whether the Department of Justice is handling cases in an unbiased way.

CNN correspondent Evan Perez spoke to Garland about his administration of the DOJthus far, observing, "You have appointed more special counsels than other attorneys general" and adding, "You did this because you wanted to make sure that there was some independence from the way the Justice Department operates."

Perez then brought up one key accusation that the DOJ has received from an unexpected source, "But even the president’s son, Hunter Biden, is accusing the Department of political bias in the prosecutions that have been launched against him. How do you reassure the public that these things are being handled in an independent manner, given the fact that these special counsels do report to you?"

Garland defended the DOJ under his watch, arguing that the nature of the case does not impact the institution’s ability to do its job.

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"Look, we have reasserted and clarified the norms of this Justice Department," Garland replied. "We follow the facts and the law wherever they lead. Politics is not a part of our determinations. It would be improper and it’s not. The Department has regulations about the appointment of special counsels, and we follow those regulations."

He went on to say, "In each case, we have appointed people who are formerly veteran career prosecutors, whatever their current position is."

When asked by the news correspondent if he believed they are sufficiently independent, Garland answered, "Yes, and regulations make them independent from me."

AG