Disclaimer: This article may contain the personal views and opinions of the author.
Jonathan Turley, a legal scholar and constitutional law professor at George Washington University, has accused Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice of leaking like a sieve in the case against former President Donald Trump.
Turley, who is also a contributor to The Hill, wrote in an op-ed on Monday that the DOJ’s “litigation by leak” strategy is “unprecedented and dangerous.”
“One of the most glaring contradictions in the Mar-a-Lago controversy has been the Justice Department demanding absolute and unwavering secrecy over the FBI raid while officials have been leaking details on the raid,” Turley wrote.
The DOJ has come under fire for its handling of the raid on Trump’s Florida resort last month, which was carried out without prior notice to the former president or his lawyers.
The DOJ has also been accused of selectively leaking information to the media that is favorable to its case against Trump while withholding information that could be damaging to its prosecution.
“This is the first time that I can recall the Department of Justice using the media to try a case through leaks,” Turley wrote. “It is an unprecedented and dangerous step.”
Turley also accused Garland of betraying his promise to restore integrity to the DOJ after he was confirmed as attorney general last year.
“Garland promised to ‘restore faith in the rule of law and confidence in the Department of Justice,’ but he has pursued a Trump-like strategy of trying cases in the court of public opinion through leaks,” Turley wrote.
“This is not how our system is supposed to work. The Justice Department is not supposed to be a political weapon to be used against one’s opponents. It is supposed to be a nonpartisan institution that enforces the law impartially.”
Turley concluded by calling on Garland to put an end to the “litigation by leak” strategy and restore faith in the DOJ.
“If Attorney General Garland does not want his legacy to be one of eroding public confidence in the Justice Department, he needs to put a stop to this dangerous strategy immediately,” Turley wrote.
The DOJ did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.
Litigation by the leak is becoming all too common in our nation’s capital. The latest example comes from the Department of Justice under Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The DOJ has been caught red-handed leaking information to the media in an attempt to influence public opinion in a case involving President Donald Trump. This is just the latest example of the DOJ using its power to try to manipulate public opinion.
The case in question is a defamation lawsuit filed by E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of raping her in the 1990s. The DOJ has been trying to get the case dismissed, arguing that Trump is immune from such lawsuits while he is in office.
But rather than make its case in court, the DOJ has been leaking information to the media in an attempt to sway public opinion. The latest leak came last week when The New York Times published a story that included previously secret documents from the case.
