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Nominee vows to keep politics out of Justice Department, says credibility must be rebuilt
Summary
On the Senate floor, the deputy attorney general nominee pledged that politics "will play no role" in Department of Justice decisions and acknowledged credibility damage he said resulted from recent political interference.
Asked about politicization at the Justice Department, the nominee for deputy attorney general said "Politics will play no role. Full stop, period." He told senators he had observed outside influence and the resulting damage to the department's credibility.
The nominee said the country had seen the effects of political influence on DOJ and that repairing trust would take time: "the damage that it did, and I think that it continues to do, right up until November 5 was hard, and it's gonna take a long time to grab that credibility back." He added that "outside influence in the Department of Justice cannot happen." The remarks came in response to a question referencing prosecutions and claims that prosecutions had been used for political ends.
The nominee offered a categorical statement of intent rather than a detailed plan to prevent political interference. He did not specify particular procedural changes, oversight mechanisms or timelines for restoring public confidence; instead he emphasized adherence to nonpolitical decision-making if confirmed.
No formal actions were taken at the hearing; the nominee framed the statement as a principle he would uphold if confirmed.
