Concerns rise over potential militarization of the Department of Justice despite government appeals to halt it
Rebellious Rewrite:
YO, YOUR MORNING DROP:
Attorney General Pam Bondi is waving goodbye to what she calls the "politicization of justice" during the Biden admin, but some ask, is she not doing the same thing herself, transparently donning the cape of the Trump era's destructive Justice Department? NPR's Ryan Lucas dug into some of the dirtiest deeds of the early Trump DOJ.
BONDI'S SWEAR-IN SPEECH:
At her confirmation hearing, Attorney General Pam Bondi vowed to battle violent crime and restore trust and ethics to the Justice Department.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PAM BONDI: Party politics, weaponization - all gone. America will have a unified system of justice for all.
RYAN LUCAS TO THE RESCUE:
Much like President Trump, Bondi contends that the department was "bought and sold" under the Biden administration to target Trump and the conservative movement at large, and they point to the prosecutions of Trump himself as prime examples. John Lauro, who defended Trump in those cases, says Bondi is tackling "weaponization" head-on. Here's Lauro speaking at a recent Federalist Society event.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOHN LAURO: Today, we see no political prosecutions, no phony indictments, no sham grand jury proceedings, but instead a focus on restoring and enforcing the rule of law.
FEAR NOT OYER:
Liz Oyer, former pardon attorney at the Justice Department, paints a different picture.
"TALK IS CHEAP," she says, "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ACTIONS."
Critics argue that Bondi is, in fact, employing strategies to insert partisan interests into the department herself.
OYER: The attorney general has made it clear that her orders come from the very top - from the president - and she is there to do his bidding. That means pursuing enemies of the president. That means doing favors for friends of the president. The Department of Justice is essentially whatever the president wants it to be right now.
DIS-GUN-NED:
Oyer was let go in March after refusing to restore gun rights to thespian and Trump backer, Mel Gibson, who had a domestic violence conviction. She had concerns about public safety. Nonetheless, Bondi eventually granted Gibson his guns back, an example Oyer cites of her worries about political considerations driving decision-making.
"PROFESSIONALS BE DAMNED!"
Career professionals, Oyer says, are being shoved aside, and decisions are based solely on political considerations, not the knowledge and expertise of career staff.
SLASH-AND-BURN DOJ:
Bondi and her inner circle previously served as Trump’s personal defense attorneys. Under their leadership, the department has removed prosecutors involved in Capitol riot probes or investigating Trump and pushed out senior FBI officials, as well as dropping cases against Trump’s political friends. One example critics call attention to is the corruption case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The department leadership pressured prosecutors to dismiss the Adams prosecution, suggesting it interfered in the mayor's immigration enforcement efforts. Nearly a dozen prosecutors resigned in protest. One of them was Ryan Crosswell. He worked in the Public Integrity Section in Washington.
"IT WAS ALL OR NOTHING," Crosswell reveals, "one hour to find two lawyers to sign the court papers dismissing the Adams case, or we would quit."
The Public Integrity Section, dedicated to prosecuting corruption, faces losing its esteemed 50-year history under Bondi's regime. Crosswell resigns, having served as a federal prosecutor for a decade. He challenges the notion that the department ever was "weaponized" and finds the current leadership's justification ironic.
"YOU WANT TO FIGHT WEAPONIZATION? DON'T DO IT YOURSELF," Crosswell declares. "WHATEVER HAPPENING NOW ISN'T EVEN A FAIR FIGHT. IT'S AN ALL-OUT WAR ON JUSTICE."
Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
In NPR transcripts, time and accuracy may vary.
Insights on Bondi's Tenure:
- During Bondi's tenure, the DOJ's Civil Rights Division was significantly reshaped, with experienced career staff and leadership being targeted for removal.
- Several voting rights cases were dropped, interpreted as a strategic move to weaken protections against voter suppression.
- The DOJ under Bondi focused on politically charged lawsuits, such as one against Maine over its transgender athlete policy, which critics view as an attempt to leverage DOJ authority to appeal to conservative political bases.
- Opponents argue that these actions politicize the DOJ by undermining its impartiality and turning it into a tool to advance the Trump administration's partisan priorities.
- Critics assert that Attorney General Pam Bondi's actions during her tenure, such as the reshaping of the DOJ's Civil Rights Division, the dropping of voting rights cases, and focusing on politically charged lawsuits, may be an attempt to politicize the Department of Justice, undermining its impartiality and turning it into a tool to advance the Trump administration's partisan priorities.
- The policy and legislation enacted under Bondi's leadership, including the strategic dropping of voting rights cases and the pursuit of politically charged lawsuits, have led some to question the integrity and public safety of the government's justice system.
- The general news surrounding Bondi's time as attorney general has highlighted concerns about the politicization of policy-and-legislation within her department, as well as the potential erosion of public safety due to the prioritization of partisan interests over professional expertise and established protocol within the Department of Justice.
