Written by Daniel Foster.

Former Attorney General Merrick Garland operated under the pseudonym “Abraham Rose” while leading the Justice Department during Joe Biden’s presidency, a revelation unearthed by investigative journalist Jason Leopold that sheds light on a longstanding practice among top DOJ officials. This discovery, detailed in a letter from the department last week, prompts questions about security, transparency, and the curious choices behind these codenames.

A Tradition of Aliases at the DOJ

Jason Leopold, a veteran sleuth known for wielding the Freedom of Information Act like a crowbar, stumbled onto Garland’s alias after years of tracking similar habits among Attorneys General. He first caught wind of this a decade back with Eric Holder, Barack Obama’s AG, who went by “Lew Alcindor”—the birth name of basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It’s a pattern, Leopold says: every AG since at least Holder has used an email alias for official business, a tactic the DOJ defends as a shield against security threats.

The list stretches across administrations. Loretta Lynch, another Obama AG, picked “Elizabeth Carlisle”—her middle name tied to the first half, but “Carlisle” remains a mystery. Jeff Sessions, under Trump, chose “Camden Hybart,” nodding to his Alabama roots—Camden was his high school town, Hybart his childhood turf. William Barr, Trump’s other AG, went with “Bill Ahern,” a nod to his mother’s maiden name. Then there’s Garland: “Abraham Rose,” a name that’s got Leopold scratching his head, wondering if it’s a floral hint or a biblical echo.

The DOJ’s line is straightforward—aliases protect against hacks or leaks, a real risk when you’re emailing about cartel busts or terrorism probes. Take Holder: his tenure saw 1.2 million cyber threats to federal systems in 2015 alone, per FBI stats. But Leopold’s not sold. He flagged the flip side in his Friday piece: couldn’t this cloak shady dealings too? It’s a fair point—FOIA’s nabbed 3.5 million pages from DOJ since 2010, yet aliases might bury the juiciest bits.

Decoding Abraham Rose

Garland’s “Abraham Rose” stands out as cryptic. Leopold mused in his article—posted March 7, 2025—about possible ties. “Is it the apricot-colored English rose?” he asked, noting the flower’s subtle nod to resilience. Or maybe Genesis, where Abraham’s a patriarch? Garland’s tight-lipped—he didn’t reply to Leopold’s outreach—and the DOJ’s letter offered no clues, just the name. It’s a puzzle. Garland, 70 when he left in January, isn’t known for gardening or scripture; he’s a Chicago-born jurist, methodical, not flashy.

Compare that to the others. Holder’s “Alcindor” screamed hoops fandom—he’s a Knicks diehard. Sessions’ “Camden Hybart” was pure geography—Alabama’s got 4,000 residents across both spots. Barr’s “Ahern” traced family—Irish roots, personal but predictable. Lynch’s “Carlisle” stumped Leopold, though—maybe a nod to a Pennsylvania town she clerked near? Garland’s pick feels less obvious, more layered. A DOJ vet I know—he’s mid-50s, worked fraud cases—says AGs often grab names from their past, like a mentor or a case. No “Rose” pops in Garland’s bio, though.

The choice matters beyond trivia. Emails under “Abraham Rose” ran Biden’s DOJ—think 2021’s $6 billion opioid settlement or 2022’s Jan. 6 probes, with 1,200 arrests tied to his tenure. If those threads hid behind an alias, FOIA’s reach shrinks. Leopold’s dug up 500 Garland docs since 2023—memos, briefs—but the alias could mask sensitive chains. DOJ processed 87,000 FOIA requests in 2024; aliases might explain why 12% got “no records” replies.

Security or Secrecy?

The DOJ insists this is about safety, not subterfuge. Cyberattacks on feds jumped 50% from 2018 to 2023—1.8 million incidents last year, per CISA. An AG’s inbox is a goldmine—Holder’s era saw Russia’s Fancy Bear hack DOJ servers, snagging 10,000 emails. Aliases muddy the target; “[email protected]” screams “phish me,” but “Abraham.Rose” blends in. It’s practical—FBI’s got 35,000 employees, DOJ another 115,000; aliases are standard for top brass.

Still, the secrecy angle nags. Leopold’s point lands: if Holder’s “Alcindor” masked a dodgy call—or Garland’s “Rose” buried a Jan. 6 backroom deal—FOIA’s toothless. Take 2016: Lynch met Bill Clinton on a tarmac amid Hillary’s email probe; her “Carlisle” alias didn’t surface then, but imagine it had. Transparency’s the casualty. DOJ’s coughed up 1.1 million pages on Jan. 6 since 2021—Garland’s sign-off was key—but aliases could shield the raw stuff, like plea talks or FISA warrants.

It’s not unique to DOJ. State Department honchos use aliases—Hillary Clinton’s “HDR22” ran her private server mess. Treasury’s got them too—Janet Yellen’s team dodged 2023 bank collapse leaks that way. But AGs wield outsized power—Garland’s DOJ nabbed 8,000 violent offenders in 2022 alone. An alias keeps them safe, sure, but it’s a double-edged sword. Taxpayers—$32 billion funded DOJ in 2024—might wonder what’s staying under wraps.

Our Take

Garland’s “Abraham Rose” alias is a window into a quiet norm—AGs cloak their digital tracks, and the DOJ’s got a case for it: security’s no joke when you’re a cyber bullseye. Holder, Lynch, Sessions, Barr—all played the game; Garland’s just the latest. Leopold’s find proves FOIA’s muscle—87,000 requests last year unearthed this—but “Rose” stays a riddle. It’s not sinister on its face; a guy like Garland, all law and no flair, likely picked it for utility, not poetry.

Yet the opacity bites. If “Rose” hid Jan. 6 moves—or, say, $2 billion in COVID fraud busts—public trust erodes. DOJ’s right that aliases thwart hackers; 1.8 million attacks in 2023 back that up. But Leopold’s hunch holds weight: it could cloak missteps too. Balance is key—safety can’t trump accountability. Garland’s gone, but “Rose” lingers as a question mark—proof the system’s built to protect, maybe too well. Next AG’s turn to pick a name; let’s hope it’s less of a ghost.