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“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans,” said Donald Trump, aiming to “refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting crime, and Making America Safe Again.” So, what will “justice” look like under another Trump presidency?
The Justice Department contains 40 federal components, including the F.B.I., the Bureau of Prisons, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and U.S. Attorneys, all under the Attorney General. Trump’s loyalist pick for that role, Matt Gaetz, recently withdrew amid sex trafficking allegations. Trump’s plan for the department, and justice overall, is overhaul.
Though the Justice Department is supposed to be impartial and independent from presidents, Trump wants to use it to target his political adversaries. He even plans to open civil rights investigations into what he calls “progressive prosecutors.”
Now embraced by Trump’s team, Project 2025 claims to reject federal investigations into police misconduct, supersede local prosecutors to jail more people, and fire “disloyal” government workers. Still, for goals like mass deportations, Trump’s newly titled “border czar,” Tom Homan, was appointed by Obama who gave Homan a civil service award for his deportation strategy of separating children from their families.
In many ways, the foundation has already been laid for Trump’s plans. As we ask ourselves if we can trust a Trump-run Justice Department, let’s also ask if we have ever trusted U.S. justice.