Attorney General Merrick Garland labeled Saturday’s assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump an “attack on our democracy.”
Mr. Garland said he has briefed President Biden on the shooting, which saw Mr. Trump’s right ear grazed with a bullet and the shooting suspect and a rally-goer killed.
“We will not tolerate violence of any kind, and violence like this is an attack on our democracy,” Mr. Garland said.
That’s strikingly similar to the label Mr. Garland has given the Jan. 6, 2021, mob assault on the U.S. Capitol, which he also labeled an “attack on democracy” and to which he has dedicated an extraordinary amount of Justice Department manpower.
Mr. Garland said his “heart is with the former president, those injured, and the family of the spectator killed in this horrific attack.”
He said the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. attorney for western Pennsylvania and the main Justice Department national security division are all working the case with the U.S. Secret Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.