Trump Justice Dept. considers removing key check on lawmaker prosecutions

The Washington Post ^ | May 17, 2025 | Perry Stein

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section is charged with ensuring cases against elected officials are not politically motivated. The Trump administration is considering changing that.

Federal prosecutors across the country may soon be able to indict members of Congress without approval from lawyers in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, according to three people familiar with a proposal delivered to attorneys in the section last week.

Under the proposal, investigators and prosecutors would also not be required to consult with the section’s attorneys during key steps of probes into public officials, altering a long-standing provision in the Justice Department’s manual that outlines how investigations of elected officials should be conducted.

If adopted, the changes would remove a layer of review intended to ensure that cases against public officials are legally sound and not politically motivated. Career prosecutors in the Public Integrity Section guided and signed off on the criminal investigations into alleged corruption by New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) and former Democratic senator Bob Menendez.

A Justice Department spokesman confirmed the proposal and said that no final decisions have been made. The three people familiar with the proposal spoke on the condition of anonymity because they fear reprisals.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has repeatedly accused the Biden administration of having weaponized the Justice Department and has vowed to remove politics from the nation’s premier law enforcement agency. Since being sworn in, she has closely aligned the department — which traditionally keeps some distance from the White House — with the president, ratcheting up immigration enforcement and refocusing the civil rights division on culture war fights that go beyond traditional conservative causes such as religious freedom.

Federal law enforcement officials arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) at an immigration facility this month, and...

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Federal prosecutors across the country may soon be able to indict members of Congress without approval from lawyers in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section...

Democrats will no longer have a monopoly on lawfare.

That's a shame.

[philippa]

This is what I voted for.

[DesertRhino]

Yeah that public integrity section did such a fantastic job when they went after Trump. They made sure it wasn’t politically motivated./s

[Carl Vehse]

Claim from the Compost... is it believable?

[BobL]

I suspect that they’re BLOCKING INDICTMENTS right now. We get pissed at Blondi, but maybe she’s effectively handcuffed. Don’t know, but why get rid of that bunch now?

[Texan5]

“The Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section is charged with ensuring cases against elected officials are not politically motivated.” Seriously? So why have we not heard any dissent from them in 4+ years of totally biased lawfare against pres Trump and other republicans? They FA, now let’s see them FO...

[ProgressingAmerica]

I see that it is being reported by the Washington Post.

Has any of this been independently verified?

[lewislynn]

We get pissed at Blondi,

Speak for yourself juvenile pinhead.

[roving]

She is useless.

[ronnie raygun]

F considering! we want it done, period! these people will never be held responsible for thier crimes if we dont

[ronnie raygun]

Imagine the government protecting thier own from criminal prosecutions, amazing

[joe fonebone]

“key steps of probes into public officials”

I was checking that pesky constitution thingie, and I can’t seem to find this language...

[PIF]

Since being sworn in, she [ Blondi ] has closely aligned the department - which traditionally keeps some distance from the White House - with the President and Fox News.

[Oystir]

Jethro Gaetz was never indicted. Maybe the system worked for him?