Garland has come under increasing pressure from Democrats to pursue a criminal case against former President Donald Trump and his allies over the Jan. 6 attack. The House committee, which has held two public hearings so far this month, plans to unveil some of its findings in June. Liz Cheney, the commission’s vice president, said last week that the hearings would include Trump’s plans to replace the then attorney general and his efforts to pressure then-vice president Mike Pence not to ratify the election results. The Wyoming Republican also said the commission would provide “evidence that President Trump corruptly pressured state lawmakers and election officials to change the election results,” including “details” of Trump’s call to action. on Monday, the commission described how those around the then President told him he had lost the 2020 election – but refused to listen, turned to Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer to accept false allegations that elections had been stolen. CNN has previously reported that top Democratic leaders in Washington and across the country fear that Trump may run for president again until Garland decides whether to oust him and others in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack. – and that any action by the Biden Department of Justice could be done by Republicans as more than just a political vendetta. Twelve top Democrats told CNN at the time that Garland may have lost time in prosecuting top Trump administration officials before the effort was trapped in the 2024 presidential campaign that will begin later this year after the midterm elections. Garland, a longtime federal judge with a calm demeanor, has vowed to keep politics out of justice at the Department of Justice, although he says he does not shy away from political affairs. And Justice officials say they still have a long way to go before President Joe Biden’s government decides to prosecute any crimes related to trying to overthrow the election results. The Ministry of Justice traditionally held a window 60 days before election day to stop political persecution, which would set a deadline of early September. However, this usually only applies to people who vote on the ballot in the upcoming election. Garland declined to comment on new information provided by the commission, citing the Justice Department’s lengthy operational process that did not comment on ongoing investigations. “We are doing this both for the sustainability of our investigations and because it is right in relation to the civil liberties of the people being investigated,” he said. CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere contributed to this report.
