Attorney General Merrick Garland said there has been a spike in violent threats against public officials, which he called “deeply disturbing,” while acknowledging an overall nationwide drop in homicides.
However, “this is not a time to relax our efforts,” he said. “We have so much more to do.”
“In just the final months of 2023, the Department investigated and charged individuals with making violent threats against FBI agents, federal judges, including a Supreme Court Justice, presidential candidates, members of Congress, members of the military, and election workers,” Mr. Garland said in a speech on Jan. 5.
He also noted an increase in threats against justices and judges, including a Supreme Court justice, as well as bomb threats against courthouses in several states, which are currently under investigation by law enforcement.
“This Department, and our state and local partners, will not rest until every community in our country is safe from the scourge of violent crime,” Mr. Garland continued.
The attorney general then mentioned that an individual was charged and arrested the previous day for threatening to kill a member of Congress and his children.
“These threats of violence are unacceptable. They threaten the fabric of our democracy,” Mr. Garland said.
“Just a small snapshot of a larger trend that has included threats of violence against those who administer our elections, ensure our safe travel, teach our children, report the news, represent their constituents, and keep our communities safe,” he said, emphasizing the importance of doubling down to combat these threats.
Mr. Garland added that “violent crime is not just a threat to people’s physical safety, it is a threat to their ability to freely go about their daily lives. Violent crime isolates people and communities. It deepens the fractures in our public life, and when it is not addressed can undermine people’s trust in the government and in each other.”
Mr. Garland then went on to elaborate on the violent crime reduction strategy, launched in May 2021, aimed at “addressing the spike in violent crime that occurred during the pandemic.”
“Central to that strategy has been the importance of our partnerships, partnerships among federal law enforcement agencies who are assisting the fight against violent crime, partnerships with state and local law enforcement agencies tasked with protecting their local communities, and partnerships with the local communities themselves,” he added.
Mr. Garland’s comments came ahead of the third anniversary of the Capitol breach, which according to Garland, led to over 1,250 individuals being charged, and 890 of whom were subsequently convicted.
