Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco Delivers Remarks at Attorney General Garland’s Farewell Event

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Thank you, Jolene.

Now, before I introduce the man of the hour, I want to add a few of my own reflections.

And I’m going to start with a little myth-busting.

By now we know the arc of his career: brilliant young lawyer, advisor to Ben Civilletti; Assistant U.S. Attorney; Criminal Division leader, PADAG overseeing the Oklahoma City Bombing case; a brilliant jurist on the D.C. Circuit; and an Attorney General with a tendency to choke up when speaking about his reverence for this place and its people.  

All that seriousness of purpose obscures the lighter side.

The man who revels in the truly awful pun.

Who thinks he has musical talents — talents that amount to banging on a cow bell — as rhythm eludes him – in support of the Criminal Division cover band.

The man who’s an unabashed Swiftie — with the friendship bracelets to prove it.

And who I have witnessed being positively giddy in the presence of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.

I share this not to expose some insider secrets in the waning days of an otherwise very buttoned up tenure — but to fill out the picture of the man who has led this Department for the last four years.

Nearly every morning for those past four years, we’ve convened to discuss the work of this Department — and we’ve done so under the watchful gaze of prior Attorneys General.

Those among you who are veterans of DOJ know the tradition — the Attorney General chooses which portraits of past AGs will hang in the current AG’s conference room.

In my experience, those choices, say a lot about an Attorney General.

In characteristic fashion, the four portraits hanging upstairs today reflect choices that are deliberate, thoughtful, and rooted in the principles that guide the Justice Department.

And they tell you a lot about this Attorney General:

Robert Jackson — Supreme Court Justice, Nuremberg Prosecutor, and Attorney General who literally wrote the book on being a federal prosecutor.

Robert Kennedy — this building’s namesake and civil rights champion.

Elliot Richardson — who stood up to immense pressure to uphold the rule of law at a time of testing for this building and its values.

The fourth portrait that hangs in the northwest corner of the room, nearest the Attorney General’s own office — is that of Edward Levi.

Another brilliant lawyer from Chicago — called to public service in the wake of Watergate — when the norms and traditions of this place and rule of law itself was strained to the point of breaking.

As most here know, Levi went on to put in place the norms that form our North Star today.

Little did he know then that the Department would once again need another deep-thinking, detail-oriented Chicagoan — to quote Levi — “enforce the laws at a time when the very nature of law and its enforcement have been called into question…”

The AG and I both invoked Ed Levi when we were nominated four years ago.

It’s no surprise we reached for that touchstone because we both basically grew up in the Department — albeit a few years apart.

We both served as young counsels to the Attorney General — he for Ben Civiletti, me for Janet Reno.

We both went on to be AUSAs here in D.C. — a job we describe as the best there is — because the job description is to do the right thing.

We both served as PADAG – the hardest job in the Department.

In fact, when I became PADAG in 2010, the first person I sought out for advice was then-Judge Garland.

He may not remember this, but I’ll never forget that lunch in the judge’s dining room at the Court.

I was lamenting that DOJ was coming under fire from all sides for something — he leaned back, and calmly and wisely said — everyone always feels that way when you’re in it, but it’s not that big a deal, and it’s never actually as bad as it feels when you’re getting criticized in the moment.

Attorney General — care to revise those remarks?

I first learned what it means to be a lawyer in public service in this Department, and for the past four years I’ve had a front row seat to a master class from this Attorney General.

From this seat I’ve seen an AG who set a clear mission from day one: to uphold the rule of law, keep the country safe, and protect civil rights.

Who starts and ends every day making sure we are asking the right questions: what’s the law; what’s the right thing to do; and what’s right for the Department and its people.

I’ve seen an Attorney General who loves nothing more than digging into a case briefing with agents and prosecutors.

And who has focused this institution on standing up for those agents and prosecutors who have come under threat simply for doing their job.

I’ve seen an Attorney General who made sure this Department was once again pursuing justice for victims of war crimes — not just as a prosecutor — but as someone who feels a profound responsibility to give back to this country.

I’ve seen an Attorney General who made clear from the very first days of his tenure that this Justice Department would pursue accountability for those who attacked our democracy — no matter where — or to whom — that investigation led.

And I’ve seen an Attorney General who has grieved — too often – with the families of the fallen.

The Attorney General and I both worked at different times for Janet Reno; she also hung Ed Levi’s portrait in her conference room.

She did so, I believe, to remind us that we are all custodians of this place — for however long we have the privilege to serve.

Merrick, as you reminded us four years ago — the Department’s founding task — from then President Grant, in the shadow of Reconstruction, was to hold accountable those who sought to undermine democracy.

You reminded us then that every generation has a responsibility to reaffirm our commitment to the norms that guide this place.

You pledged to do so — and you did.

If history is a guide, this Department will face tests in the future.

Thanks to your service and your stewardship, the career men and women of this great institution — who are its beating heart — will carry forward the principles this Department stands for and will continue to do even-handed justice.

Mr. Attorney General, I speak for all of us when I say it’s been an honor to serve alongside you.

With that, it is my honor to introduce the 86th Attorney General of the United States: Merrick B. Garland.

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Source: Justice.gov