(NewsNation) — There has been an “unprecedented rise” in threats to public officials around the country, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.
“I get something called urgent reports. These are reports that come in from the field from U.S attorneys all across the country,” Monaco said in an interview Sunday on ABC News’ “This Week.” “Every week, sometimes more often, I am getting reports about threats to public officials, threats to our prosecutors, threats to law enforcement agents who work in the Justice Department, threats to judges.”
Just this past week, Monaco said, “we’ve had cases involving threats to kill FBI agents, a Supreme Court justice and three presidential candidates.”
Accusations by certain Republicans that the Department of Justice has been politicized to target former President Donald Trump have “not been helpful,” Monaco told ABC.
These claims, Monaco said, do a “disservice to the men and women of the Justice Department.”
“Those claims bear no resemblance to the Justice Department that I know,” Monaco said, calling them “dedicated men and women, investigators, lawyers, prosecutors, analysts, professional staff who get up every day” regardless of who is the president or in Congress.
Special Counsel Jack Smith was appointed by the Department of Justice to investigate Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, and what authorities say are his attempts to overturn to the 2020 election, leading to two indictments against the former president.
NewsNation partner The Hill writes that Trump, on his Truth Social account Christmas Eve, called Smith one of Biden’s “misfits and thugs” who are going after him “at levels of persecution never seen before in our country.”
The DOJ has also faced criticism from the GOP over its handling of investigations into the president’s son, Hunter Biden, with some claiming that he is getting preferential treatment, despite his own indictments on tax and firearm charges.
ABC News’ Chief Justice Correspondent Pierre Thomas asked Monaco if Biden ever talked to her or Attorney General Merrick Garland about the classified documents investigation or the Hunter Biden Probe.
“No,” Monaco answered. “And the Attorney General has been exceptionally clear on this point.”
Added Monaco: “These are matters of the utmost importance and significance.”
“It’s exceptionally important that they are handled independently, confidentially and free of any outside or inappropriate influence,” Monaco said. “And that’s exactly why the Attorney General appointed special counsels in the first place.”
