'Justice not politics' drove prosecutions: outgoing US attorney general

US Attorney General Merrick Garland defended the Justice Department on Thursday against what he called unfounded attacks and said prosecutions under his leadership were driven by "justice, not politics."

Garland, in an emotional farewell speech to Justice Department employees, also stressed the importance of maintaining the independence of the department from the White House and Congress.

Garland did not specifically mention Donald Trump or the president-elect's nominee to be his successor as attorney general, Pam Bondi, in his speech. But some of his remarks were clearly aimed at the incoming administration.

"I know that you have faced unfounded attacks simply for doing your jobs," the outgoing attorney general told Justice Department staff. "But the story that has been told by some outside of this building about what has happened inside of it is wrong.

"You have worked to pursue justice, not politics."

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During his tenure, Garland appointed a special counsel who brought two federal cases against Trump -- for seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election and mishandling classified documents after leaving the White House.

Neither case came to trial and both were dropped in line with a Justice Department policy of not prosecuting a sitting president, after Trump won the November election.

Trump has threatened to pursue individuals he perceives as his political enemies but Bondi, during her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday, pledged that she "will not politicize" the office of attorney general.

"I will not target people just because of their political affiliation," she said. "There will never be an enemies list within the Department of Justice."

Garland said law enforcement decisions should be "based only on the facts and the law" and the Justice Department must maintain its independence from the White House and Congress.

"We make that commitment not because independence is necessarily constitutionally required, but because it is the only way to ensure that our law enforcement decisions are free from partisan influence," he said.

"It is the obligation of each of us to adhere to our norms even when -- and especially when -- the circumstances we face are not normal," he said.

Garland also appeared to have some words of advice for his successor, saying it was incumbent upon the attorney general to ensure that the Justice Department does things "the right way."

"The attorney general must ensure that this department seeks justice only with justice," he said.