AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana.
Attorney General Merrick Garland is attempting to convince lawyers in the Department of Justice to not leave out of fear of retribution from President-elect Donald Trump.
The president-elect has vowed in the past to seek retribution against the DOJ and the president-elect’s recent pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, has called for the prosecution of DOJ officials and journalists he considers to be part of the “deep state.”
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that law firms have seen unprecedented flood of resumes from lawyers at the DOJ leaving before Trump enters office. Many attorneys fear retribution if they stay at the department because some have worked on cases involving the prosecution of Capitol rioters and the contempt-of-Congress cases against longtime Trump loyalists Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon.
Garland, along with other senior DOJ officials, has given counsel to department lawyers who remain on the fence about leaving the DOJ. But the attorney general has reportedly urged the worried barristers to stay for continuity of government and for their expertise.
Per the WSJ other DOJ lawyers are seeking legal counsel as Trump’s return looms:
Others have sought legal guidance from friends and private lawyers in preparation for the ways the next Trump administration and its supporters could make their lives difficult whether or not they leave the government, from potential harassment to investigations that could hurt them legally and financially for years.
At the center of the storm is special counsel Jack Smith and his team, some of whom are expected to leave, people close to them said, rather than return to department positions they held before being detailed to investigate and prosecute Trump for election interference and mishandling classified documents. Smith last month dropped both cases, citing longstanding Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.
