Garland: Do I Look Like I'd Make a Mistake About the Law?

Merrick Garland sat down with NBC News for a wide-ranging interview that aired Tuesday, during which the attorney general called the shooting at a Donald Trump rally a "horrific attack" that should never have been allowed to happen. He also said that despite the FBI having not yet determined a motive, there's "no question" the shooting was an attempted assassination of Trump. He decried the unacceptable security failures, saying it's "extremely alarming" the gunman was able to get so close. "Democracy will not survive if people decide that the way in which they're going to get whatever outcomes they want, or whatever other motive he may have, is by killing someone," Garland said. "That's why we have to find out what happened here, why it happened and make sure it doesn't happen again." Other topics addressed:

• The ruling that his appointment of special counsel Jack Smith was unconstitutional: "I picked this room for this interview. This is my favorite room in the Justice Department. It's a law library. For more than 20 years, I was a federal judge," Garland said. "Do I look like somebody who would make that basic mistake about the law? I don't think so."
• The importance of an independent Justice Department: "I think the lessons of Watergate are that there has to be a separation between the Justice Department and the White House, whether it's a legally required separation or a policy separation that's necessary to ensure confidence in the rule of law, to ensure confidence that our law enforcement efforts are not political. One way or the other, we have to have that distinction. And that's what we have put in place in this administration."
• The upcoming presidential election: "There will always be a winner and a loser ... and that person's supporters will always be upset. But in a democracy, we have to accept the results. Otherwise, democracy won't survive. I can say that America's elections are the most secure on the planet. And everybody has to accept that if our democracy is going to survive."

(More Merrick Garland stories.)