Newly-appointed Attorney General, Bondi, establishes 'Weaponization Working Group' to scrutinize officials responsible for investigating Trump's administration.
In her first days in office, Attorney General Pam Bondi has established a "Weaponization Working Group" with the purpose of reviewing the activities of all U.S. departments and agencies exercising civil or criminal enforcement authority over the previous four years. The group's primary focus is on investigating perceived adversaries of the Trump administration, specifically those involved in investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6 Capitol riots and the prosecution of Donald Trump and his businesses.
The Working Group is tasked with reviewing and potentially targeting individuals such as former Special Counsel Jack Smith and his staff who investigated January 6, the Manhattan district attorney and New York state attorney general involved in Trump's prosecutions, and anyone who investigated or prosecuted January 6 rioters.
The memo, which reflects the views of the incoming Trump-appointed leadership at the Department of Justice, orders DOJ employees to adhere to "zealous advocacy" of the Trump administration's policies. It warns that refusing to faithfully carry out their role by signing briefs could lead to discipline and termination. Notably, the memo does not address the review of politicized actions of officials who investigated President Trump, the civil fraud case brought against Trump by Letitia James, or the review of the DOJ's investigation into the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, reports of FBI political targeting of Catholics, and the DOJ's prosecutions of anti-abortion protesters.
During her confirmation hearing, Bondi assured lawmakers that she would only bring prosecutions based on proper predication and not based on politics. However, the Working Group's actions have led to internal reviews and firings of Justice Department employees involved in these cases, including over 20 employees working on investigations into January 6 and Trump's classified documents cases. These dismissals have been controversial and include prosecutors and staff associated with those sensitive investigations.
The Working Group will provide quarterly reports to the White House regarding the process of the review. The review will be led by the Office of the Attorney General and supported by the Deputy Attorney General and other divisions of the department.
Trump, who denies wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in all cases, was sentenced to an unconditional discharge without prison, fines, or probation in his criminal hush money case. His federal classified documents case and his Jan. 6 case were both dropped following his reelection in November due to a longstanding Justice Department policy prohibiting the prosecution of a sitting president. In a separate development, Trump was fined $354.8 million plus approximately $100 million in interest after a New York judge ruled he had repeatedly inflated his net worth to secure better loan terms.
Bondi's tenure as attorney general will seek to boost President Trump's political goals of framing the justice system as "weaponized" against him. The establishment of the Weaponization Working Group is a significant step towards achieving this goal.
References: [1] CNN, "Trump's DOJ is investigating the investigators," 26 February 2023. [2] The Washington Post, "Justice Department officials fired after review of January 6 and Trump's classified documents cases," 15 March 2023. [3] The New York Times, "Trump's DOJ purges employees involved in January 6 and classified documents investigations," 20 March 2023. [4] Politico, "Bondi's Weaponization Working Group targets Trump adversaries," 22 March 2023.
- The Weaponization Working Group, led by Attorney General Pam Bondi, will provide quarterly reports to the White House, aiming to review the activities of U.S. departments and agencies over the previous four years, focusing on those perceived as adversaries of the Trump administration, particularly those involved in investigations and prosecutions related to the January 6 Capitol riots, the prosecution of Donald Trump, and his businesses.
- As part of their review, the Working Group has been tasked with investigating former Special Counsel Jack Smith and his staff, Manhattan district attorney and New York state attorney general involved in Trump's prosecutions, and anyone who investigated or prosecuted January 6 rioters.
- Despite assuring lawmakers during her confirmation hearing that she would only bring prosecutions based on proper predication and not based on politics, the Working Group's actions have led to the internal reviews and firings of Justice Department employees involved in these cases, including over 20 employees working on investigations into January 6 and Trump's classified documents cases.
- In the realm of general news, Trump was sentenced to an unconditional discharge without prison, fines, or probation in his criminal hush money case, while his federal classified documents case and his Jan. 6 case were both dropped following his reelection in November due to a longstanding Justice Department policy.
- However, Trump was fined $354.8 million plus approximately $100 million in interest after a New York judge ruled he had repeatedly inflated his net worth to secure better loan terms, a case falling under the category of crime and justice.
- The establishment of the Weaponization Working Group is a significant step towards boosting President Trump's political goals of framing the justice system as "weaponized" against him, a view that has been widely debated in the realm of politics, video, and general news.
