Federal judges have accused the Trump administration’s Justice Department of an extraordinary spate of misconduct, including making false statements, failing to comply with court orders, and improperly using the legal system to harass political opponents.
Watchdogs Gutted
The department’s two internal watchdogs, tasked with policing the government’s most powerful law-enforcement agency, have been largely sidelined due to shrinking staffs and fears of political retribution. Nearly half the workforce at the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has left during Trump’s second term, while about 17% have departed the Office of Inspector General.
The number of new OPR investigations has declined to a 20-year low, even as misconduct complaints soar. The government watchdogs are “afraid of doing any watching,” said one former DOJ official. The OPR investigates misconduct by department lawyers, while the inspector general probes waste, fraud, abuse, and other wrongdoing department-wide.
Staff Exodus
The inspector general’s office lost 99 employees since the end of President Joe Biden’s administration, reducing staffing to 477 people. The office has started to avoid investigating “the high-profile stuff,” according to one former official. The declining power of the DOJ watchdogs comes as judges increasingly call out the government’s lawyers for alleged misconduct.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
