The DOJ's Shameful Abuse of Power Must Be Reined In
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/ March 9, 2026
The DOJ’s Shameful Abuse of Power Must Be Reined In
The weaponizing of the department to do Trump’s bidding has dangerously undermined its credibility.
Michele Goodwin
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A banner featuring an image of US President Donald Trump with the slogan “Make America Safe Again” is displayed on the facade of the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 20.(Celal Gunes / Anadolu via Getty Images)
This article appears in the
April 2026 issue, with the headline “A Lawless DOJ.”
The Department of Justice is in a crisis, at a level that hasn’t been seen in decades, if perhaps ever. Not since 1975, when US Attorney General John Mitchell was prosecuted and convicted for conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to Watergate, has there been a more toxic and chaotic environment at the department. Today, under Pam Bondi, the DOJ shows a flagrant disregard for the rule of law and contempt for the Constitution. A once-exalted institution that was integral to the protection of civil rights now resembles an elite agency that serves the private interests of a president rather than vulnerable Americans.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this state of affairs is how we got here. In January, after Renée Good, a 37-year-old mother in Minneapolis, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, the head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, said that the department would not investigate whether the agent had violated any federal laws. US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed there was “no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation,” despite clear video evidence showing otherwise. “We don’t just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody,” Blanche added. “We investigate when it’s appropriate to investigate.”
At the same time, the DOJ began pressuring its prosecutors to investigate the victim and her wife. Six attorneys resigned from the department in protest, including Minnesota’s second-in-command at the US attorney’s office, Joseph Thompson.
Around two weeks later, the same day that Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse, by shooting him 10 times at close range, Bondi sent a threatening letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, offering a chilling quid pro quo framed as “common sense solutions.” Bondi demanded that Walz provide access to voter rolls, end the state’s sanctuary policies, and release sensitive records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs, including data from the Supplemental Nutrition …
This affects the entire country.
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The DOJ's Shameful Abuse of Power Must Be Reined In
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Current Issue
Comment
/ March 9, 2026
The DOJ’s Shameful Abuse of Power Must Be Reined In
The weaponizing of the department to do Trump’s bidding has dangerously undermined its credibility.
Michele Goodwin
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
A banner featuring an image of US President Donald Trump with the slogan “Make America Safe Again” is displayed on the facade of the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 20.(Celal Gunes / Anadolu via Getty Images)
This article appears in the
April 2026 issue, with the headline “A Lawless DOJ.”
The Department of Justice is in a crisis, at a level that hasn’t been seen in decades, if perhaps ever. Not since 1975, when US Attorney General John Mitchell was prosecuted and convicted for conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to Watergate, has there been a more toxic and chaotic environment at the department. Today, under Pam Bondi, the DOJ shows a flagrant disregard for the rule of law and contempt for the Constitution. A once-exalted institution that was integral to the protection of civil rights now resembles an elite agency that serves the private interests of a president rather than vulnerable Americans.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this state of affairs is how we got here. In January, after Renée Good, a 37-year-old mother in Minneapolis, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, the head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, said that the department would not investigate whether the agent had violated any federal laws. US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed there was “no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation,” despite clear video evidence showing otherwise. “We don’t just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody,” Blanche added. “We investigate when it’s appropriate to investigate.”
At the same time, the DOJ began pressuring its prosecutors to investigate the victim and her wife. Six attorneys resigned from the department in protest, including Minnesota’s second-in-command at the US attorney’s office, Joseph Thompson.
Around two weeks later, the same day that Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse, by shooting him 10 times at close range, Bondi sent a threatening letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, offering a chilling quid pro quo framed as “common sense solutions.” Bondi demanded that Walz provide access to voter rolls, end the state’s sanctuary policies, and release sensitive records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs, including data from the Supplemental Nutrition …
The DOJ's Shameful Abuse of Power Must Be Reined In
This affects the entire country.
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The DOJ's Shameful Abuse of Power Must Be Reined In
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Current Issue
Comment
/ March 9, 2026
The DOJ’s Shameful Abuse of Power Must Be Reined In
The weaponizing of the department to do Trump’s bidding
has dangerously undermined its credibility.
Michele Goodwin
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
A banner featuring an image of US President Donald Trump with the slogan “Make America Safe Again” is displayed on the facade of the US Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on February 20.(Celal Gunes / Anadolu via Getty Images)
This article appears in the
April 2026 issue, with the headline “A Lawless DOJ.”
The Department of Justice is in a crisis, at a level that hasn’t been seen in decades, if perhaps ever. Not since 1975, when US Attorney General John Mitchell was prosecuted and convicted for conspiracy and obstruction of justice related to Watergate, has there been a more toxic and chaotic environment at the department. Today, under Pam Bondi, the DOJ shows a flagrant disregard for the rule of law and contempt for the Constitution. A once-exalted institution that was integral to the protection of civil rights now resembles an elite agency that serves the private interests of a president rather than vulnerable Americans.
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of this state of affairs is how we got here. In January, after Renée Good, a 37-year-old mother in Minneapolis, was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, the head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, Harmeet Dhillon, said that the department would not investigate whether the agent had violated any federal laws. US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed there was “no basis for a criminal civil rights investigation,” despite clear video evidence showing otherwise. “We don’t just go out and investigate every time an officer is forced to defend himself against somebody,” Blanche added. “We investigate when it’s appropriate to investigate.”
At the same time, the DOJ began pressuring its prosecutors to investigate the victim and her wife. Six attorneys resigned from the department in protest, including Minnesota’s second-in-command at the US attorney’s office, Joseph Thompson.
Around two weeks later, the same day that Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive-care nurse, by shooting him 10 times at close range, Bondi sent a threatening letter to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, offering a chilling quid pro quo framed as “common sense solutions.” Bondi demanded that Walz provide access to voter rolls, end the state’s sanctuary policies, and release sensitive records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs, including data from the Supplemental Nutrition …
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