The DOJ Isn’t Enforcing the Law. It’s Protecting the President

The Department of Justice in President Donald Trump’s second term has sometimes been referred to as the president’s personal law firm. But that characterization is unfair to law firms. Although private lawyers advocate zealously on behalf of their clients, most constrain themselves within the limits of the law and professional ethics.

Under Attorney General Pam Bondi, however, the Justice Department has too often acted less like a law enforcement agency than a political instrument for revenge. Bondi and her underlings have often worked to advance Trump’s interests by effectively making their own rules. The most recent example is the department’s deeply flawed compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The federal statute required Bondi to disclose all materials relating to the investigation of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with only narrowly tailored exceptions designed to protect victims, national security and ongoing criminal investigations.