After his swearing in as the 86th Attorney General of the United State, Merrick Garland called a meeting with the head of the FBI, Christopher Wray, and other national security officials to get briefed on the January 6th domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol, the Wall Street Journal reports.
More than 300 people who participated in the insurrection are facing federal charges, with additional charges expected for many of them and other people expected to be charged in the investigation. “I have to tell you that when I walked in the door of Main Justice this morning, it really did feel like I was coming home,” Garland, a former federal judge, said in his first address to the workforce.
Garland faces two major challenges as he takes office: first, investigating the 1/6 attack and determining the future threat of domestic terrorists; and second, repairing the public image of the Justice Department, whose reputation for political neutrality was compromised during the previous administration.
“All of us are united by our commitment to the rule of law and to seeking equal justice under law,” Garland said in his introductory address to the DoJ 115,000 person workforce. “The only way we can succeed and retain the trust of the American people is to adhere to the norms that have become part of the DNA of every Justice Department employee.”
Less than an hour later, he was meeting with Wray to get an update on investigations. He then met with the staff of the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, which has jurisdiction over the attack and has been responsible for the prosecutions.