A New York Times survey of 50 members of the Washington legal establishment show deep pessimism on how President Donald Trump has taken a "wrecking ball" to the legal system.
"What’s happening is anathema to everything we’ve ever stood for in the Department of Justice,” said a former official who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including Trump’s first term.
And although 42 of those surveyed—former attorneys general, solicitors general, former U.S. attorneys and retired federal judges from across the country—were previously surveyed before Trump took office for his second term, many did not want to speak on record, because, the Times explains, "they’re worried about retribution, for their law firms or their family members, if they draw Trump’s ire."
The new survey, the Times says, "channeled their collectively grim state of mind. All but one of the respondents rated Trump’s second term as a greater or much greater threat to the rule of law than his first term."
Respondents say this second term is "far worse than they imagined," and all agreed that "Trump and his attorney general, Pam Bondi, have used the Justice Department to go after the president’s political and personal enemies and provide favors to his allies."
Contrasting Trump's first term, during which time safeguards were held because "there were lawyers in the room;" this time is different, the Times reports.
I still think we get through it,” a former official who served in several administrations said, “but I’m less certain of that each passing day.”
Trump's bullying of law firms has raised deep concern among the group as well, with one former Republican-appointed judge saying, “Whatever happened to the bedrock principle that everyone deserves the best lawyer they can find? My firm is scared to death.”
The firing of the Jan. 6 prosecutors, the resignations over Trump's dismissal of corruption charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, the conduct of Trump's U.S Pardon Attorney Ed Martin, who promised to smear the reputations of any targets he couldn’t indict, and the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey "corroded the Justice Department in the eyes of our respondents," the Times says.
“It’s all about dismantling the institution,” said the former official who served in multiple administrations. “And the message to everyone in the department is that if you speak up, something could happen that has never happened before. Maybe you’ll only be demoted or fired. But maybe it will be worse. Either way, you’d better bow to the emperor.”