Concerns raised over potential manipulation of the Department of Justice, despite calls from authorities to put a stop to it.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi recently declared an end to what she called the politicization of the Justice Department during the Biden administration. But what actions has Bondi taken that may be seen as weaponizing it herself? NPR justice correspondent Ryan Lucas delved into some early actions of the Trump Justice Department.
LUCAS: During her confirmation hearing in January, Attorney General Bondi pledged to combat violent crime and restore confidence and integrity to the Justice Department.
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BONDI: Partisanship and weaponization will be a thing of the past. America will see one tier of justice for all.
LUCAS: Similar to President Trump, Bondi argues that the department was politicized under the Biden regime, targeting Trump and conservatives more broadly, and they cite the prosecutions of Trump himself as evidence. John Lauro, Trump's former defense attorney, claims Bondi is tackling politicization head-on. Here's Lauro speaking at a recent Federalist Society event.
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LAURO: Without political prosecutions, sham indictments, or fake grand jury proceedings, the Department of Justice is being restored and will uphold the rule of law moving forward.
LUCAS: Liz Oyer, the former pardon attorney at the Justice Department, expresses concerns that Bondi is politicizing the department herself.
OYER: The Department of Justice is being turned into Donald Trump's personal law firm.
LUCAS: Oyer and other critics argue that Bondi is taking steps to politicize the department, with decisions driven by political considerations instead of the advice of career professionals. Oyer was fired in March after refusing to restore gun rights to Mel Gibson, a prominent Trump supporter. Bondi later granted Gibson his gun rights, an action critics see as an example of questionable decision-making.
OYER: Career experts, knowledgeable in their field, are being marginalized.
LUCAS: Under Bondi's leadership, the department has dismissed prosecutors who worked on the Capitol riot cases or investigated Trump, pushed out senior FBI officials, and dropped cases against the president's political allies. Some critics point to the dismissal of New York City Mayor Eric Adams' corruption case as an instance of political interference. This move prompted nearly a dozen prosecutors to resign in protest.
Prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, who worked in the Public Integrity Section in Washington, recalled the incident.
CROSSWELL: We had three options - resign en masse, be fired, or someone would sign the motion.
LUCAS: Ultimately, one attorney agreed to sign the motion, saving the Public Integrity Section. Crosswell, who resigned days later after a decade as a federal prosecutor, disputes that the department ever was weaponized and finds the current leadership's claims of ending it ironic.
CROSSWELL: If you believed the department was weaponized, correcting it isn't by doing the same.
LUCAS: Crosswell argues that enforcement and policy priorities shift from administration to administration, but the current leadership's actions are considered far different.
Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary.
While search results do not provide specific examples of Pam Bondi politicizing the Justice Department, they highlight her alignment with Trump's policies and bold actions during her tenure.
- The general news regarding Pam Bondi's tenure as Attorney General has raised questions about her assertion to end politicization, given her alignment with weaponizing the Justice Department, reminiscent of the Trump administration's policies.
- Public safety and integrity within the government have been subjects of concern, as critics argue that Bondi's actions risk politicizing the Justice Department, mirroring the partisanship she claims to despise.
- News reports suggest that Bondi's decisions, such as granting gun rights to Mel Gibson, may indicate a political approach, adding fuel to the debate over the politicization of the Justice Department.
- Transcripts reveal significant criticism towards Bondi's leadership style, with Liz Oyer stating the department is being converted into Donald Trump's personal law firm, undermining public safety and the rule of law.
- War-and-conflicts, policy-and-legislation, and crime-and-justice spheres have been impacted by the perceived politicization under Bondi's leadership, as demonstrated by the dismissal of cases against the president's political allies and the resignation of several prosecutors in protest.
- The ongoing debate revolves around Bondi's claim to distance herself from partisanship and end politicization, in light of her moves perceived as being in line with Trump's strategies and bold actions, raising questions about the credibility of such statements in the realm of politics.
