Attorney General Merrick Garland didn’t have to say any names when he warned against threatening election workers because those threats are coming from Donald Trump and his supporters.
At a DOJ press conference announcing criminal charges and other actions against Russians who are trying to interfere in the 2o24 election, AG Garland said:
As I have said before, and I will reiterate again today, these cases are a warning. If you threaten to harm or kill an election worker or official or volunteer, the Justice Department will find you. And we will hold you accountable. In a democracy, people vote and argue and debate. Often loudly in order to achieve the policy outcomes they desire. And the justice department will continue to relentlessly protect the rights of all Americans to peacefully express their opinions, beliefs and ideas. But the promise of our democracy is that people will not employ violence to achieve their preferred outcomes. The public servants who administer our elections must be able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives.”
Video:
AG Garland talks about cases where people have threatened election workers, “Tthese cases are a warning. If you threaten to harm or kill an election worker or official or volunteer, the justice department will find you. And we will hold you accountable.” pic.twitter.com/ZGcZKLTvP9
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) September 4, 2024
Merrick Garland has come under a lot of justified criticism for dragging his feet on filing federal charges against Donald Trump, but one of things that he and his DOJ have gotten right is protecting democracy.
Whether it is the threat posed by election interference for hostile foreign governments, or the threat posed at home by right wing extremists, AG Garland has used the power of the DOJ to protect American democracy.
Garland didn’t have mention Trump or MAGA by name when he issued his warning. The threats to election workers are primarily coming from Donald Trump’s supporters. Election workers have been threatened in battleground states like Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan by supporters of the ex-president.
It is Trump who turned election workers into targets with his big lie that the 2020 election was stolen, and it is Trump who continues to jeopardize election workers by repeating his lies.
In 2024, the Justice Department is ready to prosecute anyone who threatens election workers and attempts to jeopardize democracy.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association