A Busy First Week at the Trump DOJ

Senate Democrats last week put on hold the confirmation process for Pam Bondi, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Her full Senate approval appears inevitable but Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee claimed they wanted more time to review her background file. Another hearing is scheduled for Wednesday; a vote to advance her nomination out of the committee is expected later that day.

But if Democrats had hoped postponing Bondi’s confirmation would delay the Trump administration’s carpet bombing of the Department of Justice, they are once again mistaken. In fact, Trump’s DOJ is wasting no time reversing the dangerous course set by Joe Biden and Merrick Garland while redirecting resources from the now-closed January 6 prosecution to fight real security threats across the country.

Shortly after the president took the oath of office last Monday, several Trump appointees were sworn in at Main Justice to fill top posts at the department. James McHenry, a longtime immigration lawyer at the DOJ, will serve as acting attorney general until Bondi takes over; the move appears to underscore the president’s plans to prioritize immigration enforcement at the department.

Bondi still has her work cut out for her—rooting out bad actors within the department’s whopping 34,000 employee base won’t be easy. She may face headwinds from Senate Republicans afraid to pursue much-needed internal investigations into JackSmith and his team as well as former DC-US-Attorney Matthew Graves for bringing vindictive, selective prosecutions against the president and his supporters.

But reform and accountability are already underway. The once-revered Department of Justice suffers a deep public trust deficit following a decade of relentless politically charged lawfare against Republicans. It appears, however, that the right team is in place to restore that public’s trust and return the DOJ to its original crime-fighting mission—something the country desperately needs.

And Julie just posted this thread:

SCOOP: New DC US Attorney Ed Martin has opened an inquiry into the DOJ’s unlawful use of 1512c2, the post-Enron obstruction statute filed against 300+ J6ers. Martin called the use of 1512c2 a “great failure” of the office and directed staff to immediately deliver “all files, documents, notes, emails and other information” related to 1512c2 charging decisions to two other prosecutors, who will prepare a preliminary report for Martin by this Friday.

Martin further indicated his team will reach out to prosecutors who left the office but nonetheless were involved in the unlawful prosecution of J6ers under 1512c2.

The Supreme Court determined in Fischer v US that the DOJ had misapplied the felony statute, which requires proof of documents/evidence destruction. After the June 2024 ruling, defendants—some of whom had already served years-long prison sentences—filed motions to vacate convictions, drop existing indictments.

The DC circuit slowly overturned those cases but DC US Attorney Matt Graves tried to work around Fischer by bringing an alternative charge that was equally as dubious.

Further, despite the fact the 1512c2 conviction animated long prison sentences, Graves tried to keep 1512c2 defendants in jail for the same amount of time EVEN AFTER THE CONVICTION WAS DROPPED by asking for new sentencing enhancements.

Of course DC judges were only too happy to comply.

The unlawful application of 1512c2 represents the dark heart of the abusive, reckless prosecution of J6ers. Every prosecutor signed their name to court documents related to 1512c2 and every DC judge except two—Carl Nichols and Greg Katsas—endorsed the statute’s unlawful use.

They all must be held accountable.

Important to note the 1512 count also represented two of the four counts in Jack Smith’s J6 indictment against the president.

So who was driving the 1512c2 train? Not Matt Graves because he is too dumb. Someone like Lisa Monaco perhaps? Our buddy Norm Eisen? Maybe Andrew Weissmann?

Kudos @EagleEdMartin

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.