White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is indicating the Biden administration would be leaving it up to Merrick Garland, the president’s nominee for attorney general, to determine whether there will be an investigation into former President Donald Trump’s alleged role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
During her appearance on “The View” Thursday, co-host Joy Behar asked Psaki if Biden will hold Trump accountable even if it “divides the country further.”
“We’re going to do something new here and we’re going to have an independent justice department,” Psaki said.
She added, “You saw Merrick Garland… He had an incredibly powerful testimony. He answered tons of questions that you just referenced.”
“He’ll have to decide whether there’s an investigation moving forward and how that will proceed and that’s going to be a decision that’s up to him,” the press secretary said.
Watch part of her interview below:
Asked if Pres. Biden will hold former Pres. Trump accountable for his alleged role in the Capitol riot, @PressSec tells @TheView AG nominee Merrick Garland will “have to decide whether there’s an investigation moving forward and how that will proceed.” https://t.co/f8u2wbJuik pic.twitter.com/5Z5M0mtfwA
— The View (@TheView) February 25, 2021
She mentioned how Biden vowed the Department of Justice will be independent and suggested Garland would not have accepted the job if he could not run it independently.
Garland told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday he would be prioritizing an investigation into the riots, as IJR reported.
“We must do everything in the power of the Justice Department to prevent this kind of interference with policies of American democratic institutions,” Garland said.
He continued, “I don’t yet know what additional resources will be required by the department. I can assure you this will be my first priority.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) weighed in during her press briefing Thursday on whether the House of Representatives is looking into other punishments for Trump, as IJR reported.
“He’s gone. What we need is the truth and that’s what we want to find out, the truth about what is happening in our country to enable something like this to be acceptable to the Republican party,” Pelosi said.
