Justice Manual § 1-7.700

Press conferences should be held only for significant newsworthy actions, or if an important law enforcement purpose would be served. Before holding a press conference or making comments on a pending investigation regarding another DOJ component, the U.S. Attorney or Assistant Attorney General shall coordinate any comments, including written statements, with the affected component.

There are circumstances when media contact may be appropriate after indictment or other formal charge, but before conviction. In such cases, communications with the media should be limited to the information contained in publicly available material, such as an indictment or other public pleadings.

DOJ personnel must avoid making public statements that violate DOJ guidelines, regulations, or legal requirements, including those imposed by case law, applicable bar policies, and local court rules.

In juvenile proceedings, special rules apply and should be followed to ensure that the identity of a minor is not revealed. See JM 9-8.000, et al.

In cases where the IRS has provided information to DOJ, care should be taken to comply with applicable statutory disclosure provisions, including 26 U.S.C. § 6103. When communicating with the media, DOJ personnel should attribute the immediate sourcing of information to the public record of the judicial proceeding. No information should be provided from IRS materials, even if those materials are located in DOJ files.

In clemency matters, DOJ acts both as prosecutor and as advisor to the President. Any communications concerning clemency should be approved by OPA and the Deputy Attorney General to ensure that there is no infringement upon the President's prerogative in exercising his clemency powers.