U.S. Attorney General Visits Bensalem National Night Out

BENSALEM TOWNSHIP, PA —U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland made an appearance at Bensalem's National Night Out Tuesday, just hours after an indictment came down against former President Donald Trump.

After visiting a National Night Out event in Philadelphia, Garland spent 40 minutes at Bensalem Township's National Night Out just hours after the four-count indictment was announced against Trump for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which culminated in the Jan. 6 riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol.

The nation's top law enforcement official did not comment about the Trump indictment during his tour around the grounds of the Penn Community Bank Amphitheater at the Bensalem Township Municipal Complex, said William McVey, the township's director of public safety.

Garland had appointed U.S. Department of Justice Special Counsel Jack Smith, whose office filed another indictment against Trump on Monday.

"It was an honor that he chose Bensalem. We never had a U.S. Attorney General visit our township before," McVey told Patch Wednesday. "He didn't mention Trump and we didn't talk about anything political."

Garland was joined on the tour by Jacqueline Romero, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania along with Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub.

“The fact that USAG Garland chose Bensalem Township Police Department’s ‘National Night Out’ event to visit out of all the events going on throughout the country is proof of what we already know: that Bucks County law enforcement’s relationship with its citizens is a model for the rest of the country to emulate,” Weintraub said.

McVey said he received late word about Garland's attendance. He said Garland had a security team with him and McVey escorted him around to show him fire apparatus such as the new Engine 222, the K-9 unit, the command post, and the SWAT team truck.

"He was very impressed with our facility, our staff, and our community," McVey said. "He was very encouraged and very engaged."

The recent Trump indictment, the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024, follows a long-running federal investigation into schemes by Trump and his allies to subvert the peaceful transfer of power and keep him in office despite a decisive loss to Joe Biden, the Associated Press reported.

(Photo Courtesy of the Bensalem Township Police Department.) A drone shot shows police and fire apparatus at Bensalem's National Night Out Tuesday.