Alberto Gonzales: If AG Garland Believes Trump Committed Crime, He’s Obligated to Prosecute

Former Bush Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said Tuesday on CNN’s “The Lead” that Attorney General Merrick Garland has an obligation to charge Donald Trump “if he believes a crime has been committed” regardless of possible political unrest.

Guest Anchor Kasie Hunt said, “I’m curious what you think about Merrick Garland, the current attorney general, obviously, you have been in those shoes in the past. He’s in a very unique position as someone who has to make a decision about what to do here about the former president. Do you think he should be considering what Lindsey Graham suggested there, the fact that it might cause incredible political unrest, that the former president might actually encourage his supporters to violence? Can you take us inside what he might be thinking at this point along those lines?”

Gonzales said, “Well, I don’t know General Garland, let me begin by saying that, but I can tell you based on what I understand, the kind of person that he is, that is a consideration. Certainly, he’ll think about that. He’ll understand that there could be those kinds of violent repercussions, but at the end of the day, he took an oath to enforce the law. If he believes a crime has been committed and he believes he can prove that crime, beyond a reasonable doubt in our courts, then he has an obligation to move forward. The most he can do at that point is of course prepare, have the federal government prepare for any kind of reaction that may arise as a result of the charges, as a result of the trial, as a result of a conviction. But make no mistake about it, he has an obligation as the attorney general to make sure that crimes are prosecuted. And you know, and deal with the repercussions when they occur.”

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