Garland Bans DOJ Appointees From Campaign Events

The Washington Post reports:

Justice Department political appointees cannot participate in campaign-related activities in any capacity, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday, describing the change as necessary “to maintain public trust and ensure that politics — both in fact and appearance — does not compromise or affect the integrity of our work.”

The new policy underscores the intense political scrutiny Garland is facing two months before the midterm elections, as his agency investigates former president Donald Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving office and the potential involvement of Trump and other Republican politicians in efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Garland made a notable change to the policy, altering a rule that said government appointees could “passively” participate in partisan activities with permission. The new rule allows for no exceptions.

Read the full article.

Garland bans campaign activity by Justice Dept. political appointees https://t.co/146J7aWt5g

— Post Politics (@postpolitics) August 30, 2022