Summary of the Dismantling of the Justice Department

The selection argues that Donald Trump and his lieutenants have fundamentally damaged the Department of Justice (DOJ), severely imperiling the rule of law and the nation’s system of impartial justice.

Causes and Momentum of the Decline

The unraveling of the DOJ is attributed to a mix of actions from both the Trump and Biden administrations:

Trump’s Initial Destabilization: In his first term, Mr. Trump attempted to use the DOJ for personal and political gain, targeting career prosecutors and FBI agents who investigated his campaign’s ties to Russian operatives. This destabilized the institution’s foundations.

Biden Administration’s Delay: Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Joe Biden, out of a desire to avoid the appearance of partisanship, delayed investigating evidence of Mr. Trump’s potential culpability in fomenting the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

The delay lasted nearly a year before one prosecutor was assigned and 15 months before the FBI joined the hunt.

Critics argue this cautious approach was a political decision that gave Mr. Trump an advantage, allowing him to paint himself as a “martyr and victim.”

Actions in Trump’s Subsequent Term

Upon his return to power, the text asserts that Mr. Trump quickly seized the levers of the agency to target and punish political foes:

Gutting Anti-Corruption Units:

The Public Integrity Section, created after Watergate to prosecute corrupt officials, has been all but shuttered, reduced from over 30 to just two prosecutors.

Department teams focused on domestic terrorism, corporate fraud, and foreign manipulation of elections have been gutted.

Weaponizing Prosecutorial Power:

Mr. Trump has directed the department to launch investigations and lodge criminal charges against his critics over the objections of nonpartisan career lawyers who found the evidence “dubious or slim.”

Targets included former FBI Director James Comey, New York’s Attorney General Letitia James, and demands for charges against Senator Adam Schiff and Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Impunity for Allies: Evidence of potential crimes by Mr. Trump’s allies appears unlikely to be investigated.

Mass Exodus: The administration has driven out or fired combined centuries’ worth of frontline expertise, leaving the country less prepared to combat security threats.

Consequences and Warnings

Career law enforcement officials warn that the cumulative damage is so profound the department may not regain its former state in our lifetimes:

End of the Rule of Law: The act of charging political enemies without a solid factual basis is deemed the “hallmark of a dictatorship.”

Vulnerability for Citizens: The loss of an impartial DOJ means that any American who draws the president’s ire is vulnerable to prosecution on spurious charges.

Threat to Democracy: Without a functional Justice Department, a corrupted institution allows a president to manipulate election results and potentially remain in power permanently.