Pam Bondi‘s Senate confirmation hearing pledge of an apolitical justice department has been challenged by recent actions under the Trump administration.
The department’s recent directives have raised eyebrows, including requests for FBI agent identities involved in the Capitol riot investigation, legal action against a state attorney general who had previously ruled against Donald Trump, and the dismissal of charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, citing interference with Republican immigration policies.
These unprecedented actions have created significant disruption within the department, testing its traditional commitment to fact-based, impartial justice. The situation raises questions about presidential influence over the institution during a potential second term, New York Times reported.
“We have seen now a punishing ruthlessness that acting department leadership and the attorney general are bringing to essentially subjugate the workforce to the wishes and demands of the administration, even when it’s obvious” that some of the decisions have all the signs “of corrupting the criminal justice system,” said retired federal prosecutor David Laufman, a senior department official across Democratic and Republican administrations.
Manhattan’s chief federal prosecutor, Danielle Sassoon, resigned following Emil Bove’s directive to dismiss the Adams case. In her resignation letter, she cited concerns about an apparent exchange of favours regarding immigration policy. Despite being a Democrat, Adams had shown willingness to support the administration’s initiatives, including meeting Trump in Florida.
Several senior officials from the public integrity section resigned alongside Sassoon. Prosecutor Hagan Scotten became the seventh person to resign, stating in his letter to Bove that only a “fool” or a “coward” would comply with the dismissal order.
The resignations echo the 1973 “Saturday Night Massacre” during Nixon’s presidency. Alberto Gonzales, former attorney general under George W. Bush, noted that these events signal clear expectations about the department’s direction.
Bove, previously representing Trump in criminal cases, cited political reasons for dismissing the Adams case, including electoral timing and restrictions on the mayor’s ability to address immigration and crime.
Bondi supported the case dismissal, while her chief of staff, Chad Mizelle, criticised resistant prosecutors. Trump denied involvement in the Adams case when questioned at the White House.
The controversy extends to Bove’s request for Capitol riot investigators’ identities and the establishment of a “Weaponization Working Group” under Bondi’s leadership, focusing on cases against Trump while excluding matters favourable to him.
The department’s actions included targeting special counsel Jack Smith and New York Attorney General Letitia James, with Bondi announcing legal action regarding New York’s driver’s licence laws for undocumented individuals.
The situation suggests potential further upheaval within the Justice Department, with continued concerns about its independence and institutional integ