Federal prosecutors in Nashville have maintained that senior officials from the U.S. Department of Justice were not involved in the decision to charge Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, an immigrant who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador and later returned to the United States for indictment. However, newly released emails from a federal judge overseeing the case indicate that Justice Department leaders, including Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, may have played a significant role in the prosecution process.

The emails, disclosed as part of a judicial order, reveal communications between Robert E. McGuire, the acting U.S. attorney in Nashville, and Aakash Singh, a senior official in Blanche's office. These communications raise concerns about whether the Justice Department misled Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. regarding the autonomy of local prosecutors in the decision to charge Mr. Abrego Garcia. Judge Crenshaw noted that the documents suggest McGuire did not act independently and that there were external influences in the prosecution decision.

One email, dated April 30, from Singh to McGuire and another prosecutor, Jacob Warren, emphasized that charging Mr. Abrego Garcia was a priority for Blanche's office. McGuire's response indicated a desire to keep higher-level officials informed about the case, further suggesting a coordinated effort beyond local prosecution.