Deputy AG Monaco Blames DOJ Politicization for Toxicity, Threats

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that claims the Department of Justice is politically biased was creating a toxic environment that is causing a rise in threats on public officials.

Partial transcript as follows:

PIERRE THOMAS: I want to talk about the toxic environment here in Washington. You have Republicans who will say that the Justice Department is full of political operatives who are working to help President Biden, hurt President Trump, and they’ll even say that the FBI should be defunded. What’s your reaction to that kind of language, and what do you say on behalf of DOJ?

MONACO: Those claims bear no resemblance to the Justice Department that I know. The Justice Department that I know is filled with dedicated men and women, investigators, lawyers, prosecutors, analysts, professional staff who get up every day, Pierre, they get up every day without regard to who’s in the White House or who’s in Congress. It really bothers me when I hear those claims because it does a disservice to the men and women of the Justice Department. It contributes to the toxicity that you’re speaking about.

THOMAS: Political threats?

MONACO: Well, what we’ve seen is an unprecedented rise in threats to public officials across the board, law enforcement agents, prosecutors, judges, election officials. And we are seeing that and responding to it.

THOMAS: And, you know, I know you don’t want to talk about any particular candidate. But when people using words like poison the blood and calling DOJ officials thugs, is that helpful?

MONACO: Well, of course, it’s not helpful. I get something called urgent reports. These are reports that come in the field from U.S. attorneys all across the country. And on a weekly basis, sometimes more often, I am getting reports about threats to public officials, threats to our prosecutors, threats to law enforcement agents who work in the Justice Department, threats to judges. In fact, just this week, just this week, Pierre, we’ve had cases involving threats to kill FBI agents, a Supreme Court justice and three presidential candidates.

THOMAS: Three?

MONACO: That’s just this week.

THOMAS: I’m going to ask a couple questions that I hope get to transparency, understanding the limits that you have to operate within. Can you assure the American public that Special Counsels Jack Smith and David Weiss, Robert Hur are operating without regard to anything but the facts and the law?

MONACO: Yes. And the reason I say that, Pierre, is, look, these are matters of the utmost importance and significance. Cases of that level of significance are — it’s exceptionally important that they are handled independently, confidentially and free of any outside or inappropriate influence. And that’s exactly why the attorney general appointed special counsels in the first place.

THOMAS: Just for the record, so the public can hear it from a top official at DOJ, has President Biden ever raised the classified documents investigation, the probe of Hunter Biden with you or the A.G., tried to influence you? Has he ever done that in regard to President Trump?

MONACO: No. And the attorney general’s been exceptionally clear on this point.

Follow Pam Key On Twitter @pamkeyNEN