Speeches of Attorney General Merrick B. Garland

Thank you, Lisa. There is no one I would rather have worked with day in and day out to lead this Department. The American people could not have asked for a better Deputy Attorney General to serve our country at this important time.

Thank you, Deputy Attorney General Monaco. And hello, everyone.

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the 72nd Annual Attorney General’s Awards Ceremony.

Thank you Chelsea, and hello everyone.

I want to start by recognizing Steve’s family: his wife Karil and his children, Allie and David.

Good afternoon.

It is my honor to join you in recognizing Director Wray’s outstanding public service.

Thanks, Nat.

I am very grateful to be here and have the opportunity to talk to all of our federal, state, and local law enforcement here.

Thanks, Jonathan. Thanks to all of you for coming here to celebrate Bill Baer — a legend of the antitrust bar, and my friend.

Bill and I met more than 40 years ago, when we both joined Arnold & Porter after our first tours of duty in the government. Bill’s was at the FTC, and mine was at DOJ.

Thank you, Rachel. I am so grateful for your leadership.

Thanks, Ben, for that overly generous introduction. And thank you Hugh and to the whole COPS team for everything you do every single day.

Good morning, everyone.

Thank you, Liz, for your leadership, your commitment to this work, and to your vision. I am grateful to you and the entire team at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

Thank you all. It’s really nice to be here. Thanks, Damian.

It feels a little bit full circle because my first visit was at Damian’s investiture. I got to talk to most of you then. So, now it seems like a good time to talk to you one more time.

Good morning.

Good afternoon everyone. Before we get started today, I want to extend my sympathy to the millions of Americans who’ve had their lives turned upside down by Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene.