AG vows prosecution amid ‘unprecedented’ spike in threats against career civil servants

The nation’s top prosecutor pledged this week to use his authority to go after anyone making threats against career federal employees, which he said have spiked to previously unseen levels.

The issue has become particularly acute in the wake of various investigations into former President Trump, Attorney General Merrick Garland told members of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, even though many of those probes do not involve federal personnel. He criticized congressional Republicans for adding fuel to the fire with divisive and dangerous rhetoric and said the Justice Department would remain steadfast in pursuing its work.

“We are seeing heinous threats of violence being directed at the Justice Department’s career civil servants,” Garland said. “These repeated attacks on the Justice Department are unprecedented, and they are unfounded.”

Increased threats have targeted the judiciary, prosecutors and law enforcement agents, among others, the attorney general said, including some cases that have resulted in actual violence. He noted Justice has stood up a “threats task force” to investigate relevant matters and the department will “aggressively” seek penalties against those who engage in such behavior. 

“We will do everything we can in our power to investigate, deter and prosecute anyone who makes threats against public servants,” Garland said. 

Federal officials have warned that threats against civil servants have increased in recent years, including at the Environmental Protection Agency, Internal Revenue Service and FBI. Those agencies, in conjunction with the Homeland Security Department’s Federal Protective Service have taken steps to harden federal buildings and issue warnings to their workforces. The U.S. Marshals Service Director Ron Davis recently told Congress threats against federal judges doubled between 2021 and 2023, with threats against other court staff rising at a similar rate. Threats against members of Congress have mostly risen steadily every year since 2017, according to U.S. Capitol Police data. 

Garland said individual federal career agents and prosecutors have been “singled out just for doing their jobs” and “extreme dangerous falsehoods” are being spread regarding how the FBI conducts its operations. That has led to Justice doubling down on its efforts to protect its employees, he said, as the department looks to ensure its work can continue unabated. 

“These attacks have not, and they will not, influence our decision making,” Garland said. “I will not jeopardize the ability of our prosecutors and agents to do their jobs effectively in future investigations.”

Justice employees will continue to do their work free from political influence, he added. 

“I will not be intimidated,” the attorney general said. “And the Justice Department will not be intimidated.”