Demanding Support for Trump, Justice Dept. Struggles to Recruit Prosecutors

The New York Times ^ | Feb. 7, 2026 | Glenn Thrush, Alan Feuer, Mimi Dwyer, Ernesto Londoño and Michael S. Schmidt

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Chad Mizelle, a former chief of staff to Attorney General Pam Bondi, hung an online help wanted sign for federal prosecutors last weekend that perhaps explained why so many valuable Justice Department staff members have left, and why so few candidates want in.

Assistant U.S. attorneys are not typically recruited, as Mr. Mizelle sought to do, by a former federal employee who asks potential candidates to send a private message to his X account. Nor have they been asked in the past to prove political or ideological fealty.

“If you are a lawyer, are interested in being an AUSA, and support President Trump and anti-crime agenda, DM me,” wrote Mr. Mizelle, a fierce Trump supporter who remains close with Justice Department leaders and senior officials in the West Wing.

Mr. Mizelle was acting as a private citizen expressing his own views. But the post reflected the prevailing sentiment inside the department — that Mr. Trump has the right to hire only those willing to execute his agenda. It also highlighted the dynamic that appears to be contributing to the very staffing shortages Mr. Mizelle tried to address.

The intermingling of law enforcement and political goals has made the department, long a magnet for platinum legal talent, an unappealing landing spot, according to current and former officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters.

The number of applications is down significantly from previous years, officials said, even as Trump loyalists have publicized vacancies through official and unconventional channels. Some of those applying are generally not as qualified as those who sought the position in the recent past, they added.

A Justice Department spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

The White House has exercised extraordinary control over the Justice Department, with prosecutors pressured to investigate and prosecute the...

---

TOPICS: Government
KEYWORDS: alanfeuer; enemycombatants; enemyjournalists; ernestolondono; glennthrush; michaelschmidt; michaelsschmidt; mimidwyer; nyt; nytsedition; trump

[E. Pluribus Unum]

TRANSLATION: All lawyers are Democrat gangsters.

[antceecee]

New York Times = Lying their asses off all the time!

[House Atreides]

Sure, NYT, we believe you… you’re always truthful and non agenda driven.

[TheDon]

If so, it’s totally worth the struggle!

[L.A.Justice]

The number of applications is down significantly from previous years, officials said, even as Trump loyalists have publicized vacancies through official and unconventional channels. Some of those applying are generally not as qualified as those who sought the position in the recent past, they added.

Remember the US Assistant Attorney job is a civil service job...A person has to file an application...Then he has to be interviewed...Whether he voted for Trump in the last election should not matter in the selection process...

US Attorney job is 100% political...Jeanine Pirro is appointed as the US Attorney in DC because President Trump knew her well...

I guess it is possible for somebody to apply for Assistant US Attorney job even if he voted for Harris in the last election...Trump Justice Department cannot refuse to hire him because of his support for Harris...That would be violating the federal civil service law...

There is nothing wrong with a Harris supporter not applying to be a federal attorney because he is unwilling to defend Trump policies in court...

Good luck to Attorney General Pam Bondi...She really has a tough job of recruiting federal attorneys...

[protoconservative]

If you have a law degree, top half of your class and pass the bar as a conservative, there is a stack of jobs for insurance companies at twice civil servant rates, if you already were not sucked into finance before departing law school.

If you want to become a federal judge perhaps the next 3 years at the DOJ or the districts might be seasoning and exposer to the inside of the beast if your spouse is not working for the government.

Anyone who wants the job as a assistant whatever, isn’t the best of the best unless they have a screw loose. If one strives for SDNY...you are sick in the head.

[L.A.Justice]

If you have a law degree, top half of your class and pass the bar as a conservative, there is a stack of jobs for insurance companies at twice civil servant rates, if you already were not sucked into finance before departing law school. If you want to become a federal judge perhaps the next 3 years at the DOJ or the districts might be seasoning and exposer to the inside of the beast if your spouse is not working for the government. Anyone who wants the job as a assistant whatever, isn’t the best of the best unless they have a screw loose. If one strives for SDNY...you are sick in the head

A good explanation...Many conservative lawyers do not want to apply for the federal jobs because they do not want to take a pay cut...

[Does so]

“Many conservative lawyers do not want to apply for the federal jobs because they do not want to take a pay cut...
.
Or be constantly attacked and doxxed by the media...

[Texas Eagle]

Yeah. Sure, Jan.

[irishjuggler]

Yep, that’s a pretty big part of it. I remember a post-Watergate interview that Richard Nixon once with 60 Minutes or similar, and the interviewer was incredulous when Nixon said that most of the staff of the FBI were liberal Democrats who didn’t like him. The FBI... liberals?! The interviewer reacted as if Nixon had said he just flew in from Mars. Yes, Nixon explained, he’d always noticed that if an intelligent young man with a good education was a conservative, he went into business. But if you were a smart young liberal, you went to work for the government... or in the media.

[Gen.Blather]

Lawyers are like teachers in that to become one you have to first pass the liberal gauntlet of the training program. It’s hard to find conservatives teaching as they’ll be hounded out or at least shunned by their coworkers. I’m sure the same is true of lawyers and probably other professions.

Funny story. I was making a delivery for my side business at an antique store. I was chatting with the owner and his wife when his wife pointed her chin at a woman coming into the store. He said, “Please excuse me” and ‘waltzed’’ over to greet the woman. Flapping his hands around like flags and raising his voice an octave he ushered her around the store. The wife had vanished into the back room. The owner ended up selling her a half dozen pieces at a stunning price. When he returned to me, he said, “I’m so sorry. A gay customer told me that nobody would buy antiques from a hetero and then proceeded to dance around the store selling things I couldn’t have given away. Since then, I’ve developed a different personality. That woman is an interior decorator and she’s practically half my business now.”

Imagine how hard it would be to do for a conservative attorney to develop a get-along personality and still prosecute cases. Someone would figure it out pretty quickly .

[FLT-bird]

LOL! “Valuable” DOJ members. No. Leftist political activists. That’s all they were. Shitcan all of them.

[Flavious_Maximus]

It took 5 homosexuals to write that article for the New York Homosexual Times. Did it ever occur to them that most prosecutors in Washington DC are Democrats?

[Timmy]

A big part of it is that the leftwing BAR associations and others try to punish anyone who works for Republicans.

[CodeToad]

Is there such a ting as a conservative law school or even an unbiased non-liberal one?? Nope.

I checked out the Denver University law school back in 1991. It was nothing but hostile ugly feminists. I was government back then and received nothing but a hostile reaction to that fact.

[NetAddicted]

Oy vey 😣

[JimRed]

Many conservative lawyers do not want to apply for the federal jobs because they do not want to take a pay cut...

Our daughter-in-law is an attorney. She is on a list to be appointed as a judge, but the pay cut would be catastrophic.

[lastchance]

I might be wrong on this but aren’t workers supposed to support the boss?