By definition, a Special Counsel is charged with investigating particular potential crimes, not all potential crimes wherever they may be found.
— William Barr
There is no more important institution in our country than the Department of Justice.
While the DOJ and the SEC must be vigilant in investigating and prosecuting white-collar misconduct, we must also ensure that we are acting fairly and prudently.
A key initiative that was launched was Project Triggerlock, which targeted for federal prosecution violent felons who illegally possessed guns. It used our very strong federal gun laws to put those people away for a long period of time, a resolution that we couldn't get from many of the state systems.
The U.S. Attorneys who comprise the Attorney General's Advisory Committee play a critical role in carrying out the Department of Justice's important work, including its efforts to reduce violent crime, combat the opioid crisis, protect the most vulnerable, and enforce the rule of law.
My top priority as Attorney General is to continue the fight against violent crime, and step it up wherever needed.
I learned firsthand just how valuable it is to have law enforcement allies around the world.
As we work to secure our data and communications from hackers, we must recognize that our citizens face a far broader array of threats.
As individuals and as a nation we have become dependent on a vast digital infrastructure. That, in turn, has made us vulnerable to cybercriminals and foreign adversaries that target that infrastructure.
The first Black Migration to this country was forced migration. It was the Middle Passage.
I think that Roe v. Wade will ultimately be overturned. I think it'll fall of its own weight. It does not have any constitutional underpinnings.
This whole idea that the Trump was in cahoots with the Russians is bogus.
An attorney general's duty is to render her opinion and honest advice; she cannot set herself up as a judge overruling the president's decision. The president need not 'convince' his subordinate that his decision reflects the best view of the law.
Comey is an extraordinarily gifted man who has contributed much during his many years of public service.
Only an approach combining tough law enforcement with physical, moral and educational revitalization of high-crime areas offers the prospect of a safer America.
When a federal court issues an order against enforcement of a government policy, the ruling traditionally applies only to the plaintiff in that case.
The role of the federal prosecutor and the purpose of a criminal investigation are well-defined.
I have long believed that there is no finer group than those who serve in the Department of Justice.
Cases like Power Traders Press are just as important as cases like Mobile TeleSystems. In my view, our best cases are those that yield tangible results for everyday people.
Those who commit gun crimes and those who enable them should know this: We're coming after you.
At any one time, there are approximately 1.2 million fugitives at large in the United States - it is likely that approximately half a million of these are dangerous fugitives.
The Marshals were founded when our nation was founded and from the earliest period, one of their key tasks has been apprehension. They are our fugitive enforcers in this country.
Admission to the National Academy is highly competitive and selective.
Like everybody else, criminals of all stripes increasingly rely on wireless communications, hand-held devices, and the Internet.
The Great Migration changed American history not just for the migrants but for all of us. It made possible American cultural milestones like the Harlem Renaissance, Chicago blues, and Motown, just to name a few.
Black history is American history. You cannot tell one story without telling the other.
From my perspective the idea of resisting a democratically elected president and basically throwing everything at him and, you know, really changing the norms on the grounds that we have to stop this president, that is where the shredding of our norms and our institutions is occurring.
In our system of government, the Supreme Court ultimately decides on the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress or of presidential actions. When their actions are challenged, both Congress and the president are entitled to have their positions forcefully advocated in court.
In the Justice Department, responsibility for overseeing and directing investigations is lodged in the department's prosecutors.
Having served as both attorney general and deputy attorney general in the Justice Department, I had responsibility for supervising the FBI, working on virtually a daily basis with its senior leadership.
Police officers must act quickly to seize wrongdoers and obtain evidence while protecting themselves and bystanders. It is easy to second-guess their search-and-seizure decisions in a secure courtroom.
Proponents of nationwide injunctions argue that they are necessary to ensure that the law is uniform throughout the country. But the federal judiciary wasn't made to produce instant legal uniformity.
The law is the foundation of our society.
To all my colleagues at the Department of Justice, let me say that it is a privilege to serve with you. I will do all I can to support your work in advancing the cause of justice.
The DOJ has long considered the SEC an indispensable partner in protecting markets and investors, promoting lawful commerce around the world, and deterring misconduct.
I have long believed that the first duty of government is to protect the safety of our citizens.
When I first served as Attorney General back in the early 90s, crime was at its highest in American history, with its peak in 1992.
We are building a national and worldwide network of law enforcement excellence - a network that, through cooperation, allows us to meet the challenges we all face.
It is difficult to be a law enforcement family. You shoulder the stresses and challenges involved in your loved one's profession. You make a sacrifice, too.
Encryption provides enormous benefits to society by enabling secure communications, data storage, and online transactions.
Slavery was our nation's original sin.
Over time, I think, and with further appointments to the Supreme Court, I think that the Roe v. Wade opinion will fall.
I mean, republics have fallen because of Praetorian Guard mentality where government officials get very arrogant, they identify the national interest with their own political preferences and they feel that anyone who has a different opinion, you know, is somehow an enemy of the state.
Presidential powers are not exercised by a body or group. The Constitution vests 'all executive power' in one and only one person - the president.
While the FBI carries out investigative work, the responsibility for supervising, directing and ultimately determining the resolution of investigations is solely the province of the Justice Department's prosecutors.
I believe deeply that the first duty of government is providing for the personal security of its citizens. Therefore I would naturally place the highest priority on strengthening law enforcement.
A Supreme Court justice must convince at least four colleagues to bind the federal government nationwide, whereas a district court judge issuing a nationwide injunction needn't convince anyone.
How can it be that the homosexual movement, at one or two percent of the population, gets treated with such solicitude while the Catholic population, which is over a quarter of the country, is given the back of the hand?
