Garland to name special counsel in Trump probes

Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to announce the appointment of a special counsel to oversee federal investigations into former President Trump just days after Trump announced his intent to seek office again in 2024.

According to The Associated Press, Garland will seek a special counsel to take on both the Justice Department’s investigation into the mishandling of sensitive government records at Mar-a-Lago as well as aspects of its investigation surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Garland will formally announce the move in a 2:15 p.m. address.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, is sure to surprise legal observers, many of whom have been vocal in suggesting that doing so is of little benefit to the Justice Department.

It also comes after Trump pointed to the Justice Department when kicking off his campaign, complaining “I am a victim” and listing the FBI among the “gravest threats to our civilization.”

“Nothing is greater than the weaponization from the system, the FBI or the DOJ. We must conduct a top to bottom overhaul to clean out the festering rods and corruption of Washington, D.C.,” he said.

“The journey ahead of us will not be easy,” Trump added. “Anyone who truly seeks to take on this rigged and corrupt system will be faced with a storm of fire that only a few could understand.”

Updated at 1:53 p.m.