A High-Stakes Pressure Cooker: How Trump's DOJ Is Pushing Prosecutors to Deliver
The Department of Justice has become a battleground for the Trump administration's retribution campaign against perceived enemies. According to multiple sources, career federal prosecutors are under intense pressure from White House officials and politically appointed U.S. attorneys to pursue probes that appear to lack sufficient evidence.
The push is evident in several U.S. attorney's offices across the country, with some prosecutors describing tense discussions and public scoldings from their bosses. The goal, according to those familiar with the internal dynamics, seems to be to advance a campaign of prosecution against Trump's foes ahead of key elections, including Virginia's governor, attorney general, and House of Delegates on November 4.
At the center of this pressure cooker is interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in Eastern District of Virginia. She has been tasked with pushing her team to move quickly to charge a Democratic state lawmaker who has been under investigation since the Biden administration. The case is deeply politicized, and some prosecutors are worried that Halligan's push could violate Justice Department protocols aimed at avoiding overt prosecutorial steps within 60 days of an election.
Halligan's office is not alone in facing intense pressure from White House officials. In the U.S. attorney's office in Washington D.C., Jeanine Pirro has been scolding top prosecutors and pushing them to pursue cases that appear to lack sufficient evidence. These cases include allegations against Biden administration officials, George Soros' philanthropic foundation, and D.C. police misreporting crime statistics.
Producers are bracing for being fired if they don't deliver results that align with the White House's agenda. The tactics have led to awkward and tense conflicts in several U.S. attorney's offices across the country. In some cases, career prosecutors have methodically walked through the steps of grand jury investigations but delayed reporting back their conclusions, seeking to protect their line attorneys and hold on to their jobs.
The pressure campaign is not limited to individual prosecutors. The Department of Justice as a whole has become increasingly politicized under Trump's leadership. Career prosecutors are grappling with the reality that they may be used as tools for advancing the president's retribution agenda rather than upholding the rule of law.
As tensions rise, it remains to be seen how far this pressure campaign will go and what consequences will follow if career prosecutors push back against these tactics. One thing is clear: the Department of Justice has become a battleground in the Trump administration's war on perceived enemies, with the fate of many careers hanging in the balance.
The Department of Justice has become a battleground for the Trump administration's retribution campaign against perceived enemies. According to multiple sources, career federal prosecutors are under intense pressure from White House officials and politically appointed U.S. attorneys to pursue probes that appear to lack sufficient evidence.
The push is evident in several U.S. attorney's offices across the country, with some prosecutors describing tense discussions and public scoldings from their bosses. The goal, according to those familiar with the internal dynamics, seems to be to advance a campaign of prosecution against Trump's foes ahead of key elections, including Virginia's governor, attorney general, and House of Delegates on November 4.
At the center of this pressure cooker is interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan in Eastern District of Virginia. She has been tasked with pushing her team to move quickly to charge a Democratic state lawmaker who has been under investigation since the Biden administration. The case is deeply politicized, and some prosecutors are worried that Halligan's push could violate Justice Department protocols aimed at avoiding overt prosecutorial steps within 60 days of an election.
Halligan's office is not alone in facing intense pressure from White House officials. In the U.S. attorney's office in Washington D.C., Jeanine Pirro has been scolding top prosecutors and pushing them to pursue cases that appear to lack sufficient evidence. These cases include allegations against Biden administration officials, George Soros' philanthropic foundation, and D.C. police misreporting crime statistics.
Producers are bracing for being fired if they don't deliver results that align with the White House's agenda. The tactics have led to awkward and tense conflicts in several U.S. attorney's offices across the country. In some cases, career prosecutors have methodically walked through the steps of grand jury investigations but delayed reporting back their conclusions, seeking to protect their line attorneys and hold on to their jobs.
The pressure campaign is not limited to individual prosecutors. The Department of Justice as a whole has become increasingly politicized under Trump's leadership. Career prosecutors are grappling with the reality that they may be used as tools for advancing the president's retribution agenda rather than upholding the rule of law.
As tensions rise, it remains to be seen how far this pressure campaign will go and what consequences will follow if career prosecutors push back against these tactics. One thing is clear: the Department of Justice has become a battleground in the Trump administration's war on perceived enemies, with the fate of many careers hanging in the balance.