Columbia Standard

U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, representing Illinois and serving as the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has led a group of Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to preserve all materials related to investigations into Donald Trump. These materials pertain to former Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigations and those conducted by Congress.

The call for preservation comes amidst recent legal decisions, including Judge Aileen Cannon's temporary block on Special Counsel Smith’s report and subsequent litigation following his resignation.

"As the Senate Committee on the Judiciary exercises its constitutional oversight of the Department of Justice and considers measures necessary to protect the lawful transfer of power, this letter serves as a formal request to preserve all existing and future records and materials related to: (1) the Department of Justice’s investigations and prosecutions of President-elect Donald J. Trump; and (2) investigations and prosecutions related to efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on January 6 and 7, 2021. Additionally, we request you preserve all information that relates to all investigations conducted by Congress, including all requests from the 118th Congress," stated the Senators in their letter.

They further expressed concern over President-elect Trump's intentions regarding ongoing investigations. "As President-elect Trump has repeatedly made clear, he intends to swiftly shut down any investigations related to his alleged misconduct and involvement in 2020 election subversion efforts and his mishandling of classified documents … Furthermore, the President-elect’s intended nominee for Attorney General, Pam Bondi, has promised to weaponize the Department of Justice against those who were involved in these investigations … In light of these threats, it is critical that the Department take immediate preservation steps related to these investigations and prosecutions," they continued.

Alongside Durbin, other signatories include Senators Sheldon Whitehouse from Rhode Island, Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota, Chris Coons from Delaware, Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut, Mazie Hirono from Hawaii, Cory Booker from New Jersey, Alex Padilla from California, Peter Welch from Vermont, and Adam Schiff also from California.