Attorney General Garland: Good [afternoon].
In just a few minutes, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and I will be meeting with all 93
of our U.S. Attorneys, and with the heads of the Department’s law enforcement components, to
discuss our summer anti-violent crime strategy. Among other things, we will be reinforcing
the importance of identifying, investigating, and prioritizing the prosecution of those who are responsible for the greatest
violence in our communities. We will discuss the U.S. Marshals’ upcoming
launch of the next phase of Operation North Star. The last two phases resulted in the capture of more than 2,300 fugitives wanted for
violent crimes across the country. Our Deputy U.S. Marshals will conduct this next
phase together with our state and local task force partners to target the most dangerous criminals in
communities with the highest levels of violence. We will also discuss DEA’s plans to launch
the third phase of Operation Overdrive. So far, the first two phases of that operation
have resulted in the seizure of over 13 million deadly doses of fentanyl and over 1,300
illegal guns, as well as over 1,700 arrests. The next phase will build
on that work to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking networks and
the violent crime associated with them. A little over two years ago, we issued
a Department-wide strategy to leverage the resources of our federal prosecutors, agents, investigators, criminal justice experts,
and grant programs to combat violent crime. Since then, every one of our
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country has worked alongside our
state and local partners to implement district-specific violent
crime reduction strategies. Each of our law enforcement components
has worked with its state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement partners to
seize illegal guns and deadly drugs and to prosecute those who commit acts
of violence in our communities. In 2023 alone, we have already prosecuted more
than 6,000 individuals for violent crimes. At the same time, our grantmaking components
have worked closely with communities across the country to provide targeted support
and assistance. That includes providing resources to give law enforcement agencies
the tools and training they need to protect their communities and to build the public trust
that is essential to effective law enforcement. Over the coming year, the Department
anticipates that our Office of Justice Programs and our Office of Community
Oriented Policing Services will award over $1.3 billion to support state and local
law enforcement efforts to combat violent crime. We have also accelerated our efforts to
fight gun violence on every front – from cracking down on criminal gun-trafficking
pipelines, to updating regulations, to deepening our partnerships with
state and local law enforcement. Today, ATF is working more closely than ever with
our state and local partners to turn the evidence they collect at crime scenes into concrete leads.
Using its powerful forensic ballistics tool, known as NIBIN, ATF has generated nearly 200,000 leads
on violent criminals – just since last summer. As we build on this work this summer, we
will also be putting important new tools to use thanks to the passage last year
of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Those include expanded background check
requirements that require checking juvenile criminal history and mental health records
before a firearm is sold to anyone under 21. Thanks to those requirements, more
than 200 firearms have been kept out of the hands of young people who
should not have had access to them. These tools also include the
Act’s new proscriptions against illegal firearms trafficking and straw purchases. Thanks to the work of our U.S. Attorneys, we have already charged more than
100 defendants under the Act’s gun trafficking provisions and seized hundreds
of firearms in connection with those cases. That work will continue. Before we begin our meeting, I
want to take this opportunity to publicly recognize the Department’s
prosecutors and law enforcement agents. Often, the Department’s law enforcement
agents are among the first to arrive on the scene of a mass shooting. There,
they come face-to-face with the devastation and horror inflicted on victims
that, thankfully, most people will never see. And often, the Department’s prosecutors are on
the ground, consoling families and communities that have been shattered by horrific acts of
violence, and pursuing justice on their behalf. The Department’s prosecutors and law enforcement
agents do enormously difficult and demanding work on behalf of the American people. And in doing so,
they conduct themselves with the utmost integrity. I am grateful to them. And I could
not be prouder to work with them. I can now take a few questions. Carrie Johnson, NPR: Mr. Attorney General, we're coming off the historic arrangement of
the former president of the United States. The defendant has been calling your prosecutors
names. Republicans in Congress some of them have been talking about weaponization of the justice
system. When did you find out the Special Counsel was headed down this track and why did why did
you choose not to stop him as was of your power? Attorney General Garland: So as you know I can't talk about the
particular particulars of this or any other ongoing criminal matter. As I said when I
pointed Mr. Smith I did so because it underscores the Justice Department's commitment to
both independence and accountability. Mr. Smith is a veteran career prosecutor he
has assembled a group of experienced and talented prosecutors and agents who share his
commitment to integrity and the rule of law. Any questions about this matter will have
to be answered by their filings in court. Carrie Johnson, NPR: One quick follow up Mr. Attorney General. Experts in extremism had feared there would be unrest
in Miami this week. Some people are saying it's because the Justice Department has been so
assertive in Prosecuting Riders on January 6 that we have not seen a repeat of that violence.
Do you agree with that assessment? Attorney General Garland: All I can say is we live in a democracy.
These kind of matters are adjudicated through the judicial system. The Justice Department will be vigilant to ensure
that there are no threats of violence or actual violence. Pierre Thomas, ABC: General, good day. Can you give the American public
a very clear sense of what exactly your role was in the indictment process just so people can
understand what that role is and then secondarily given the historic and extraordinary nature of
the case explain to people if you would why this was the best and most appropriate step that was
taken and why there were no other alternatives? Attorney General Garland: I'm trying to remember the first first question
yes so my role has been completely consistent with the regulations that set forth the
responsibilities to the attorney general under the special council regulations and I followed
those regulations. With respect to the second question this again is asking for particulars
and I'm not going to be able to comment um all the comments on this will have to
come in filings in court. Xochitl Hinjosa: Thank you that's all we have time for. Thank you all. Again, that's all we have time for, thank you.
