Attorney General Merrick Garland came in with a mission to calm the waters at the Justice Department and restore its reputation for independence after four turbulent years during Donald Trump's presidency.

In a farewell speech to Justice Department staffers, outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appeared to rebuke attacks from President-elect Donald Trump and his allies who have "wrongly criticized" the department as politically motivated.

Attorney General Merrick Garland's address follows the Senate confirmation hearings of his potential replacement, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Within days of becoming attorney general, he assembled his deputies and told them to turn over every Trump rock. Blame a lumbering system—and an electorate that didn’t care.