Watch: Merrick Garland announces Trump’s presidential candidacy announcement influenced him to appoint special counsel

Attorney General Merrick Garland Friday afternoon announced he has appointed a special counsel to take over two of the criminal investigations into Donald Trump. Garland stressed that Donald Trump’s announcement this week was a large part of the reason he decided to appoint the special counsel.

“Based on recent developments, including the former president’s announcement that he is a candidate for president in the next election, and the sitting president’s stated intention to be a candidate as well, I have concluded it is in the public interest to appoint a special counsel.”

Garland claimed the appointment of a special counsel, which several legal experts urged him to not do, “underscores the Department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters.”

Watch the video below.