Legal scholar Melissa Murray sharply criticized the Department of Justice, describing it as a "deeply politicized" entity under the influence of a president who is "controlling quite a lot of it," in a recent television appearance.
Speaking to host Ari, Murray drew parallels to the aftermath of the January 6th attack on the Capitol, where accountability primarily came from state bar associations rather than the courts. "This is not the first time we’ve seen something like this, ari," she said, noting that these professional bodies moved "with greater alacrity" to discipline individuals involved.
Murray highlighted the case of Rudy Giuliani, who was disbarred as a prime example. "For example, Rudy Giuliani was disbarred. That’s where we got the majority of accountability," she explained, emphasizing how bar associations stepped in where judicial processes lagged.
She pointed out the sluggish pace of legal proceedings post-January 6th, including both civil and criminal cases. "We saw a really slow effort to bring cases, whether they were civil cases or criminal cases in the courts," Murray stated, attributing delays to various factors.
In particular, Murray singled out the Supreme Court for its role in slowing a criminal case involving the president. "Obviously, in the case of the president and a criminal case, the Supreme Court was a real lag on that," she remarked.
Murray argued that the current scenario is predictable given the Department of Justice's politicization. "But this is not unusual in a circumstance like this, where you have a deeply politicized Department of Justice and a president that is controlling quite a lot of it," she said.
Instead, she observed that accountability is emerging from private institutions unbound by direct presidential influence. "To see the accountability coming from private institutions who are beholden to other interests, not just the president, whether it’s corporate interests or shareholders. They have other things they have to account for," Murray concluded.
