The Department of Justice is setting up a task force to address the rising threats against election officials and administrators, something Attorney General Merrick Garland said would not have happened without news reports bringing the severity of the problem to his attention.
Previously, the DOJ was pursuing these cases “sporadically and individually,” he said at a Friday press conference, during which he also announced that the department will sue Georgia over its new, restrictive voting law.
“But given the collection and the number,” of the threats captured in news writeups, he said, “it became apparent that we need to have a more focused and prioritized result.”
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco announced the task force Friday morning in a memo to federal prosecutors and the FBI.
The task force will involve officials from the DOJ’s criminal, civil rights and national security divisions, as well as the FBI. There will also be a complementary hotline for the public to report the threats.
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/doj-task-force-threats-election-officials-garland