‘A shell of its former self’: Donald Trump’s Justice Department is so broken it’s ‘operating in the dark,’ and Democrats are finally stepping in

A group of congressional Democrats has started a formal investigation into the Justice Department that Trump has built. They are accusing the administration of Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel of seriously damaging the federal government’s ability to investigate public corruption. In a letter that uses very strong language, the lawmakers expressed their worry that “DOJ’s refusal to enforce anti-corruption laws betrays the public trust and will create lasting harm to Americans’ faith in the integrity of government officials.”

Democrats argue this move will weaken public trust and cause lasting harm to the integrity of government institutions. The Democrats’ letter, which was first obtained by NBC News, stated a belief that the administration has sent a clear message to potential lawbreakers that they can act without being afraid of any consequences.

The lawmakers argue that the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section has been weakened from the inside, and an important FBI public corruption squad has been shut down. The letter states these changes are happening during what the Democrats call an unprecedented time of official misconduct within the administration and that, “This is just part of the Trump Administration’s creation of a two-tiered system of justice—one for large corporations and President Trump’s wealthy friends, and another for everyone else.

Democrats want justice for all, not just for those who go against Trump

The investigation points to several problems, including the president’s dealings with cryptocurrency, his acceptance of a luxury aircraft from a foreign government for use as a new Air Force One, and his issuing of pardons to people who had given him financial support. The effort for this investigation is being led by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jerry Nadler.

Their letter to Bondi and Patel was also signed by eight other senators and more than fifty members of the House of Representatives. These legislators are asking for complete answers about the duties of the Public Integrity Section and the FBI’s work to fight public corruption. They are seeking to address what they call “grave concerns.”

The letter comes at a time when the Trump administration has been publicly announcing criminal referrals and the early stages of investigations that target Democrats and people seen as political rivals. According to the letter, this approach seems to go against the established rules and principles that are meant to keep federal law enforcement free from political influence.

Furthermore, a former lawyer from the Public Integrity Section, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid punishment, described the unit’s decline as a “slow and painful demise.” This person stated the department is “currently a shell of its former self, once home to some of the most elite and talented attorneys in the department.” Now, there are only a handful of employees “operating in the dark.”

This former employee raised serious warnings about the results of these changes saying, “clear … that pursuing public corruption cases in an even-handed, methodical fashion nationwide is no longer an administration priority.” and that we should be worried that the DOJ is now letting “politically appointed and motivated U.S. attorneys” who want to “please the president by weaponizing the department against his perceived political enemies” and are “pursuing that goal aggressively and, more often than not, without regard for the facts, law or precedent.”

The anonymous person finished with a pretty haunting statement: “Everyone should be scared of what that will mean for the country moving forward — never-ending cycles of revenge via grand jury investigation and possible indictment.”