Justice Department’s independence is threatened as Trump’s team asserts power over cases and staff
- NewsBlend360
- Feb 16
- 6 min read
WASHINGTON (NB360) — Pam Bondi had insisted at her Senate confirmation hearing that as attorney general, her Justice Department would not “play politics.”
By NEWS BLEND 360
Updated 8:10 AM EST, February 16, 2025
In the month since the Trump administration assumed control of the building, a series of actions has sparked concerns that the department is indeed doing just that.
Senior officials have requested the names of thousands of FBI agents involved in investigating the Capitol riot, filed a lawsuit against a state attorney general who had secured a substantial fraud verdict against Donald Trump before the 2024 election, and mandated the dismissal of a criminal case against New York Mayor Eric Adams, arguing that the charges impeded the Democrat’s ability to collaborate in the Republican administration’s battle against illegal immigration.
Even for a department accustomed to scandals, these actions have caused turmoil unseen in decades, challenged its independence, and shaken the core of an institution that has long taken pride in being guided solely by facts, evidence, and the law. As firings and resignations increase, the unrest prompts the question of whether a president who criticized his own Justice Department during his first term can succeed in molding it to his desires in his second.
“We have now witnessed a harsh ruthlessness that acting department leadership and the attorney general are employing to essentially force the workforce to comply with the administration’s wishes and demands, even when it’s clear” that some decisions bear all the hallmarks “of corrupting the criminal justice system,” said retired federal prosecutor David Laufman, a senior department official under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
He spoke shortly after Manhattan’s top federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, resigned in protest after receiving a directive from Emil Bove, the Justice Department’s acting No. 2 official, to drop the case against Adams.
In a letter hinting at her decision, Sassoon accused the department of agreeing to a “quid pro quo” — dismissing the case to secure Adams’ cooperation with Trump’s immigration agenda. Although a Democrat, Adams had for months positioned himself as willing to support the administration’s efforts in America’s largest city, even meeting privately with Trump at Trump’s Florida estate just days before the Republican assumed office.
Several high-ranking officials who led the Justice Department’s public integrity section, responsible for prosecuting corruption cases, joined Sassoon in resigning.
On Friday, a prosecutor associated with the Adams case, Hagan Scotten, became at least the seventh person to resign during the standoff, stating in a letter to Bove that only a “fool” or a “coward” would comply with his demand to dismiss the charges. (Ultimately, Bove and department lawyers in Washington submitted paperwork on Friday night to conclude the case).
Although the situations differ greatly, the series of resignations evoked memories of the 1973 “Saturday Night Massacre” when several Justice Department leaders resigned rather than execute President Richard Nixon’s orders to dismiss the Watergate special prosecutor.
“Although there might not be additional resignations, a strong message has been conveyed regarding the department's goals and expectations,” stated Alberto Gonzales, who was the attorney general under Republican President George W. Bush until he resigned in 2007 following the dismissal of several U.S. attorneys.
“The department's role is to ensure that laws are enforced and that individuals involved in criminal activities are prosecuted and penalized,” Gonzales remarked. To some, it might seem “that if you have connections with the White House, there might not be repercussions for actions that would result in punishment for ordinary Americans engaged in similar behavior.”
Bove, a former federal prosecutor from New York who represented Trump in his criminal cases, deliberately refrained from commenting on the legal validity of the case against Adams. Bove mentioned political factors, such as the timing of the charges just months before Adams' expected reelection campaign and the limitations the case imposed on the mayor's efforts to combat illegal immigration and violent crime.
In a letter to Sassoon, Bove mentioned that case prosecutors would undergo internal investigations.
Bondi justified the decision to drop the case, stating in a Fox News interview on Friday that Adams was targeted for criticizing the Biden administration's immigration policies. Her chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, remarked that prosecutors who did not comply with the dismissal order have “no place at DOJ.”
“The decision to dismiss the indictment of Eric Adams is yet another sign that this DOJ will focus on its primary role of prosecuting dangerous criminals, rather than engaging in politically motivated witch hunts,” Mizelle said in a statement, accusing prosecutors without evidence of having “disordered and ulterior motives.”
On Friday at the White House, Trump stated he was "not involved" in the Adams case and was unaware of it.
The New York confrontation comes after a separate conflict between Bove and the acting FBI leadership concerning his request for a list of agents involved in the investigations of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot, so the Justice Department could assess if any personnel actions were necessary.
Some viewed the request as a potential lead-up to mass firings, aligning with Trump's anger over those criminal cases, which he dismissed with broad pardons shortly after taking office.
Bove described the acting FBI director's refusal to comply with his order as "insubordination" and stated that agents who "simply followed" orders would retain their jobs, while those who acted with "partisan intent" faced potential job loss.
Between his terms in the White House, Trump and his allies argued that the Justice Department had been "weaponized" against conservatives and him specifically, pointing to various indictments that were eventually dismissed after Trump regained the presidency in November.
On her first day in office, Bondi announced the establishment of a “Weaponization Working Group” to investigate the prosecutors who had filed criminal and civil cases against Trump and to review the Jan. 6 prosecutions. In a memo, she stated that the department "must take immediate and overdue steps to restore integrity and credibility" and ensure that staff were "ready and willing" to carry out the president's agenda.
The group notably did not investigate other politically sensitive issues that could favor Trump, such as the special counsel's inquiry into Democratic President Joe Biden's management of classified documents or the legal proceedings involving Biden's son Hunter, who was found guilty of gun and tax offenses before being pardoned by his father in December.
Among the prosecutors highlighted by the working group was special counsel Jack Smith, who filed two criminal cases against Trump, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose civil fraud lawsuit against Trump resulted in a judgment of nearly $500 million.
A frequent subject of Trump's criticism, James reappeared days later when Bondi, in her initial news conference, announced a lawsuit against the state of New York challenging a law that permits individuals who may not be legally in the U.S. to obtain a driver's license. Bondi began her statement by claiming she had "filed charges" against James and Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, later clarifying that she meant a lawsuit.
More resignations — and further unrest — may be forthcoming.
"The potential dismantling of the Justice Department and the (FBI) is now a real and perilous risk unfolding," said Laufman, the retired prosecutor. "Where it leads from here, we simply can't determine at this moment."
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