WASHINGTON – Since coming into power, this administration has purged, threatened, and sidelined career civil servants at the Department of Justice, while shattering longstanding institutional norms. Justice Connection has been calling out these actions for what they are: a stark repudiation of DOJ’s core mission that puts Americans’ safety and liberties, and the rule of law itself at risk.
President Trump has indicated his desire to overhaul the DOJ for years, calling the Department’s work under Republican and Democratic administrations a “weaponization” of government. Others in his administration have said they want to put federal workers “in trauma” to drive them out of government. This administration’s efforts to carry out these changes are resulting in an increasingly partisan Department that is fast losing the expertise, institutional knowledge, and credibility needed to carry out its vital work.
Justice Connection’s fact sheet illustrates the multitude of harmful actions this administration has taken in just its first 100 days. Top national security officials were forced out and replaced by political loyalists. January 6 prosecutors were fired in revenge. Teams investigating public corruption, defending civil rights, protecting natural resources, and prosecuting cryptocurrency fraud were all but eliminated. Employees are being silenced in their personal and professional lives.
“An experienced, apolitical, and untraumatized workforce at DOJ is absolutely critical,” said Stacey Young, founder and executive director of Justice Connection. “Dedicated career employees at the Department help ensure that our streets are safe, our nation is secure, and our system of law remains in place. Without them, we leave ourselves far more vulnerable to safety threats and abuses of power.”
Justice Connection is a network of DOJ alumni supporting DOJ employees who are under attack. Those alumni are working around the clock to assist their former colleagues who’ve reached out for help, and standing up for the institution where they used to serve.
Since its launch on Jan. 31, Justice Connection has:
- Connected employees across the Department in crisis situations with MSPB and whistleblower attorneys, while working to stand up its own pro bono legal network staffed by DOJ alumni attorneys.
- Coordinated large-scale seminars for targeted employees on their rights and avenues for relief.
- Partnered with Protect Democracy to create an important new guidance called “Resign or Be Fired?” to assist employees when they’re asked to violate their ethical obligations or quit.
- Connected DOJ attorneys with dozens of state and local government offices for employment opportunities.
- Organized an open letter from more than 1,200 former federal prosecutors expressing support and admiration for current DOJ employees facing unprecedented politicization of their work.
- Formed a mental health support network of clinicians eager to help employees.
- Testified in Congress to the devastating impacts of the attacks on DOJ.
- Spoke out on TV and radio, and in dozens of national press articles.
- Transmitted information from the inside to reporters that resulted in DOJ’s changing course in matters.
Justice Connection will continue speaking out about what’s happening at DOJ, especially when it’s too dangerous for those in the trenches to do it themselves. Reporters want to be able to hear directly and on the record from federal employees—and when that isn’t possible, Justice Connection is here to bridge the gap.
We’re expanding our social media presence to Bluesky & X to ensure that Americans understand the grave harm caused by attacks on the Department and its workforce. Follow us at @justiceconnection.bsky.social and @Justice_CXN.